A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story
by icecreamapparition
Summary: Misao's parents died and she was sent away in hopes of her growing up strong and living an almost normal life.  Unfortunately for her, when she moved to Tokyo to attend university, she ended up working for an infamous Yakuza Family.   Modern AU
1. PROLOGUE

Summary:  
Misao's parents died and she was sent away in hopes of her growing up strong and living an almost normal life. Unfortunately for her, when she moved to Tokyo to attend university, she ended up working for an infamous Yakuza Family. (Modern AU)

Disclaimer:  
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. The song featured in this chapter is "Counting on me" by KoRn.  
This is a fic written for entertainment and "learning" purposes, as I am teaching myself how to write stories. Any similarity to other fanfics and/or stories is purely unintentional. There might be a lot of it as the fic goes on, seeing that the story's main influences are my love for Mafia and Yakuza themes.

Note #1:  
One of my goals in doing this fic is to improve in writing. I want to push my limits and see how far my imagination can go. By saying that, I mean it when I selected "M" as my Rating. Yakuzas are more than just gambling and badass tattoos. And given that most people (if not all) here in are writing in anonymous, I find this the perfect place to explore the ideas in my head. Please don't forget that I warned you.

Note #2:  
Reviews are welcome PLEASE! I understand that Rurouni Kenshin is pretty old, so if you're one of those people who still appreciate the anime and happen to come across my fic, I'd appreciate it if you drop a review. I want to know if what I'm writing makes sense and I want to know if my fellow Aoshi-Misao lovers out there like my ficcie. :3

Also, English is not my first language, so corrections are welcome, too! Just be nice please. This is my first fic! :)

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
~PROLOGUE~**

A group of men were on standby in an abandoned building. Some were just sitting on the scattered couches, chilling and taking heavy puffs from their cigarettes, some were playing cards and swearing with each game they lose. Your typical scenery of low-levelled thugs hanging out.

Light footsteps were heard and it wasn't long before a silhouette of a person appeared on the opened doorway.

_You see the pain in my face  
While you keep putting me down  
Inside the rage starts to build  
You push me I won't go down  
You're the one who's always screaming at me  
I'm the one that keeps your so lives care free  
What the fuck more do you want me to be?  
Why must you do this to me?_

"Hey, who are you?"

"Who sent you and what do you want from us?"

"ANSWER ME! I'M ASKING YOU A QUESTION!"

"What's with the stare? What are you, an ice block?"

A kodachi went flying and hit the nearest person directly on his throat.

Everyone gasped. The intruder walked closer and retrieved the weapon, fresh blood carelessly dripping from its tip. All men prepared to attack, but before they could reach the intruder, the person went blurry and each and every one of the opponents died in an instant.

_Counting, on me.  
Always hoping I'll be  
There for all of your problems  
and in turn you're never there for me  
You sucked the life out of me  
You hate everything you see  
I can't take this anymore  
I always stay when I should leave._

"Mass murder in broad daylight while listening to your ipod. You never fail to amuse me." *smile*

The said "murderer" turns off the music.

"...And judging from your checkered mini skirt and thigh-high socks, I'd say you were going for the 'deadly schoolgirl look' this time. It would've been better, though, if you let their blood splatter on your clothes instead of only letting a few drops fall on your shoes. Well, I guess that can't be helped, neatness is part of your style. Although sometimes, I feel like you are intentionally making a mess just to give our men some extra work. Hahaha." *smile*

"Don't push it, Soujiro. You know I'm not in a joking mood when I'm 'working'."

"Hai, hai... Well, I'm only doing my work, too. Say, do you wanna grab some ice cream after this? There's a new ice cream shop nearby. I heard it's good."

"No, Sou-kun. I'm sorry, but I'm busy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a school paper and a slumber party to attend to."

_Slumber party, eh..._ Soujiro was a bit disappointed. He was only helping his friend cheer up. He knows she's crabby when she's being ordered around to make use of her skills. He was hoping that he could somehow brighten her mood by treating her some sweets. Regardless of the decline, she called him "Sou-kun" again, so he figured out she's okay.

The girl started walking towards the door. Soujiro pulled a cellphone from his pocket.

"She's done. Bring the men here and clean up."

Soujiro looked around one last time and noticed one of the playing cards, now covered in blood, lying near his feet.

_Hmm_, he thought. _I think I'll still go out and check that ice cream store!_ *smile*

* * *

Soooooooooo, what do you think? I can't believe I finally uploaded my first Aoshi-Misao fic! It's far from done, though... BUT I'M STILL HAPPY! :D


	2. 01 My Life Story

9.13.10

Disclaimer:  
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. Dearest is by Ayumi Hamasaki.

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 1 ~  
********My Life Story**

The cursor on the Microsoft Word document continued blinking. The girl in front of the laptop didn't seem to notice that the document is still empty as she continued staring into space...

_My Life Story..._

_I am known as Shinomori Isa. I'm a hyperactive girl raised by the best group of ninja spies in Japan, the Oniwabanshu. Now before you react on the "ninja" term, let me tell you that ninjas do exist in Japan. Yes, they still do, and I am very proud of my ninja clan. We are all trained to be good fighters and with our skills combined with modern technology, you could say that we are very much needed now, like how ninjas are necessary during the old times. I know it's probably weird to call yourself a ninja in a modern world, but that's what we are and what we will always be. We are experts in gathering information, we have sources everywhere, and most of all, we are trained to kill if needed._

_We are well-known in what we do, at least in the underground world. Most of the time, it is the police who hire us. We are like an extra group of traditional fighters who serve our clients without being featured in the limelight. We just like to keep ourselves working in the shadows. That's what makes us exceptional – you hire us and you get the information/job done without a trace. That is also what makes us attractive to these Mafias, Triads, Yakuzas, syndicates, and other underground organizations, you name it. We have our own rules, however, and keeping our clan respectable is part of that. It's funny because "oni" refers to demons and yet we do not accept missions from these groups unless we are sure that it will not bring any harm to us and to the society. Because of that, these big-time bosses are always trying their best to keep themselves in our good shoes. Most of the time, they are failing, but there are still a few ones with some dignity and good intentions that we work with from time to time. Sometimes they get aggravated when we reject them, but fighting is our specialty whereas theirs are making money. Luckily, they know this as well, so they either give up and move on or appear again some time and try another form of bribe. The thick-headed ones, which are mostly corrupt politicians, hire other money-craving fighters or assassins and order them to eliminate us. They are now six feet under the ground with the raging Media having no idea on what caused their deaths._

_Now none of these would be this effective if not for our respected leader, Shinomori Aoshi. Ah, Aoshi-sama! How I miss glomping him every morning! He has been our leader for about 20 years now, way before I learned how to handle my favourite weapon, the kunai. As you have noticed, we have the same surname. That's because my beloved Aoshi-sama is both my leader and my guardian. I don't know my parents, Aoshi-sama took me in as a baby and gave me his last name. He's like a father and a brother in one good-looking package. He's only 9 years older than me, but sometimes when he lectures me around with his cute stoic face, I just couldn't help but tease him "dad" and then I'd be grounded at home for the a whole week. Isn't he sweet? Sometimes I call him my lover, too, but he doesn't know that, so don't tell. Oh wait, he does! He's actually my childhood crush. Well, when I'm not watching films or animes with bishies, he still is! I tell him I love him everyday until I reached my early teens. Aoshi-sama ordered me to stop when I told him that in front of an old couple. I was 13 and I kissed him on the cheek while in line for my favourite iced chocolate with cream and his face paled, the old couple behind us giving him weird, pointed looks. Aoshi-sama was so cute at that time and the kiss was actually a kiss of happiness because he's treating me as always, but I never got to tell him "I love you" in public again after that._

_So you see, Aoshi-sama can be strict and indulging when it comes to me. One thing's for sure, though, he really, really, really cares about me and that's the only thing that's important in our weird and unnamed relationship._

_It's been years since the last time I saw him. It's making me sad everytime I think about it because I miss having him scold at me. That's the only time when he talks a lot so it doesn't really matter what he's saying, as long as I get to talk to him and hear his soothing voice for a long time. And everytime he's done lecturing me about my street fights or how I always end up in the Principal's office despite my good grades, there's this hint of smile on his face. It's like he enjoyed annoying the hell out of me, too._

_I can't wait to see him again soon. Just a few more weeks and I'll be back in Kyoto in no time._

_Things will be different, though. If I managed to get lucky and fool him for a few months, then I might have the chance to glomp him again the first thing in the morning, maybe even show him how much I have grown as a person and tell him how much I've thought of him the whole time I was away._

_Yes, things, indeed, will be different because if I don't get that luck, the worst thing that could happen is my Aoshi-sama killing me with his own hands. And it's all because I am currently doing favors for the worst Yakuza family that has ever existed, the Juppongatana!_

_Note it when I say that I am only "doing favors" for them, I will never be a part of that damned "family", if you could call them that. I'm only swallowing my Oniwabanshu pride and doing this for them bec-_

A ringing tone started playing in the background. It's Isa's favorite ballad, Dearest by Ayumi Hamasaki. The opening music slowly registered on the girl's ears and she is shaken out of her daydreaming state and from thinking further of what to write on her paper.

_Hontou ni taisetsu na mono igai subete sutete  
shimaetara ii no ni ne..._

_(It would be nice if we could put away and throw out everything except what really mattered...)_

"AAAAH as if I can write that on a school paper!" A grave look was suddenly on her face before she turned sad, "What am I thinking, stupid."

_I should answer that. It's probably an excited Kaoru._

**On the phone**

"Isa-chaaaaaaaaaaaan! Where you at?" _Definitely Kaoru._

"In my flaaaaaaaaaat, supposedly typing my paaaaaaaaperrr...!" Isa exclaimed, imitating Kaoru's cheery voice.

"Mou! You're supposed to be on your way here!" Kaoru answered with a pout.

"Have you checked your clock, Kaoru-chan? It's too early to be on my way there. There's not even a sign of a setting sun yet. We're supposed to meet at 6 remember?"

"Demo..."

"Besides, I failed to graduate last semester because of this MAJORLY minor subject, I'd feel guilty if I went partying without doing my paper first." Isa reasoned.

"Hn! Talking like the A Student that you are!"

A big grin grew on Isa's face. "Heeeeey, I'll be there at 6 and we three will have a great time! I promise!"

"Be here before 6 ok! You need to assist me, so that I'd look prettier than Megumi when she arrives!"

"Hahaha! You miss her so badly! I'll be there at 6."

"Before 6! I love ya, too! Bye bye!" The beeping sounds told Isa that Kaoru has already put the phone down.

Isa sighed.

She may be an outstanding student, but that makes her an outstanding university student who took a subject for granted. She didn't pay attention to her Communication Skills requirements and it is only when she has passed her thesis that she found out that some of her excessive English courses won't do and that she'd had to take another one that would fit the requirement to make up for the necessary courses that she'd be needing to graduate.

Now, instead of going home to Kyoto, she's staying for one last semester in Tokyo to complete her requirements. That's a total of five school years and one semester away from Aoshi-sama. She wanted to whine about it, but she knew she's the one who made up all kinds of excuses to avoid meeting any of her "real family" members during summers and sembreaks.

Isa went back to her laptop, now displaying her M&M's STAR WARS CHOCOLATE mPIRE screensaver – Darth Chocolate training for the Dark Side. She needed to finish her "My Life Story" paper for Creative Writing so she can prepare her things for the slumber party at Kaoru's. She's in a foul mood today because her assignment paper is reminding her of the many imperfections of her life. Not to mention that earlier, she'd had the usual bloody thugs for lunch. Now she wants a bloody nail polish for dinner.

"Who would've thought I'd be required to write something like this in college? I thought stuffs like this are for elementary/high school essays!"

**Sudden Flashback (Isa's POV)**

"_What are you an ice block?"_

_The "ice block" remark triggered something painful in my chest. I threw my kodachi without thinking and it hit the nearest person directly on his throat._

**End of Flashback**

_Have I really turned into someone so serious like Aoshi-sama? The people I killed... What did they saw when they looked into my eyes? I never really gave myself the chance to find out..._

_Is this what he feels all the time, the need to keep the emotions behind an empty mask to avoid hurt?_

_Aoshi-sama... What will you think of me now? I miss you with all my heart..._

Isa paused. She took a long, deep breath and put on her most cheerful smile.

"Oh well! I better finish this asap or else I'll be late for our girl-bonding later!"

And writing her "classroom" version of her life story she did.

* * *

Poor girl, she's a Shinomori and it's not because she's married to Aoshi! Ohohoho~

Note #1:  
Sorry if there are inconsistencies with my portrayal of ninjas and syndicates and the real thing. I am trying to learn more about them, but of course, I've never been a part of one, so I wouldn't know for sure. :p

Also, the Japanese police call Yakuzas as "bōryokudan"which literally translates to "violence group" and based on what I've read, some are proven to be violent, indeed. But just for the sake of this fic, let's assume that the Oniwaban is the "strongest". (That's right, make Aoshi-sama happy!) XD

Anyway, the whole point in writing them like that is to give a clear introduction of Isa's background. So far, I feel contented on what I have written and I think I've pretty much stated where this fic is heading.

Note #2:  
Yakuza groups are also called "families". They sort of adopt each other and swear loyalty to their family boss. That's why Isa is being bitter about it.

Note #3:  
I did not come up with the Darth Chocolate screensaver! I unfortunately disclaim those jedi-wannabe chocolatees. M&Ms and Lucasfilm made them a while back and they've been my screensaver ever since! B)


	3. 02 SLUMBER PARTAAAY!

9.16.10

I have just discovered the pleasure of fanfiction! \(^o^)/

Whenever I'm writing my soon-to-be chapter (which is based from an outline that I already had before the prologue), I realize that I get carried away and that's when ideas pop. To my surprise, it brings my story to a less-boring state (I hope I'm right about this) that I now find it addictive. It's making me excited to write more because I feel like I myself will be surprised with the next turn of events!

Disclaimer:  
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 2 ~**  
**SLUMBER PARTAAAY! (GIRL MODE SWITCH ON!)**

Isa fulfilled her promise and arrived at exact 6. Kaoru was pouting a bit, but she was just glad her closest friend finally arrived that she instantly cheered up and dragged Isa to a nearby grocery store right away. She already had all the girly stuffs bought beforehand, so the only thing that needs to be done is to buy lots and lots of food and beer for the night and the rest of the weekend. She was never a good cook and as much as she hates to admit it, take-out foods are necessary for tonight. The last time she cooked a feast for a slumber party, her friends' stomachs got sick that the party crowd moved to the bathroom. Her friends looked like the epitome of weakness and yet nobody could verbal abuse her because the girls were busy crying internally, writhing in pain as they fall in line for the toilet.

Isa's heart warmed as soon as she saw Kaoru's expectant face. _There is just this warm, welcoming feeling when you see someone so happy to see you..._She'd been away from her ninja family for so long that seeing Kaoru so loud and happy like that reminds her that she is loved. The two exchanged exaggerated hugs like they didn't see each other every week. Their other friend, Megumi, won't be arriving until 7 because of her training. Takani Megumi is a medical student who's very passionate about her career. She also came from a wealthy family composed mostly of doctors that her parents with high standards, along with her strong passion, just won't let her leave early on a Saturday for a party. Well, at least that makes her happy.

The determination to look "prettier than Megumi when she arrives" was completely forgotten by Kaoru and there was a smug smile on Isa's face as she let the girl drag her to pick up unhealthy foods here and there. Well, it wasn't much of a "drag" later because soon, Isa's face lit up and then she herself was jumping around, willingly contributing to the growing pile on their basket. Their shameless pick of a deadly sin (Gluttony) was finally at its fullest when they bought luscious take-out dinner at the neighbouring restaurant. After all, Kaoru still has a growing boy at home who would love an actual dinner.

* * *

The said "boy" waiting for Kaoru is pacing back and forth inside the living room. At 15, the boy wasn't really looking boyish anymore, especially when he points out to Kaoru that he's the responsible one because he's the life-saver who cooks LBM-safe food in the family. Life outside the bathroom wouldn't exist for the both of them if Kaoru is constantly allowed in the kitchen.

Myoujin Yahiko had known how to cook ever since he could remember. Being Kaoru's half-brother and only family, he had to learn it to survive. "A strong stomach shall live and a weak one shall die", that was what he used to believe ages ago until he finally decided that learning how to cook would better ensure his survival.

Tonight, however, is different because his sister promised to bring home drool-worthy food from a fine restaurant. He agreed because he passed by the resto the other day, the price list displayed outside was scrunching up his face, but the expression of the people eating inside was the opposite. It was the look of eternal bliss! He also secretly called the restaurant after Kaoru told her about it and he confirmed himself that his sister wasn't doing any part-time job there. He was completely sure that it's safe. He'd been pacing for some time now, thinking if his sister would get the habit of treating him dinner more often, when his stomached growled, like a dragon living inside is at rage, announcing that it would spit fire and create a hole there any minute. Now he is wondering if the drool-worthy food is worth the wait, too.

* * *

No noticeable lights were on except the one illuminating the front door. _Did Yahiko fell asleep? He was all starry-eyed when I reminded him tonight's my treat..._

Kaoru hopped towards the steps on the front door, the countless bags of food show no signs of being heavy when in the hands of the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. She excitedly opened the door and faced a complete darkness... with mysterious growling sounds.

And then she found herself face-to-face with what seemed like the floating head of her brother. Time stopped. Her breath hitched. And then...

"KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Is that it?" The emotionless head of Yahiko pointed to Kaoru's food bags with his eyes.

"IYA, IYAAAA, KIYAAAYAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

On Yahiko's perspective, Isa popped out of Kaoru's back.

"Good evening, kid! Looking more and more manly with those black spikes, eh?"

Kaoru is still frozen in shock, with the look of undeniable horror on her face.

"Oh, here's your share, by the way." Isa handed Yahiko a plastic bag.

And then Yahiko's head disappeared in the darkness, not even a single "thank you" was heard.

A few moments later and Kaoru went back to earth. "Teme...!"

* * *

Everyone was laughing hard. Kaoru's attempt to throw curses on the dining table was far from the loud noises giving life to the whole house.

"So you see, Kaoru only stood there the whole time I was handing Yahiko the food. She seriously looked like a statue! Her color's similar to one, too! GRAY! Hahahaha!"

Isa continued bursting in laughter in a very unlady-like manner. She is just the type who would act as the storyteller when it comes "spreading the love" and recalling embarrassing situations.

Megumi arrived shortly after Yahiko's "floating head" faded to black and instead of her girlfriend giving her a hug, what she saw was Isa laughing her way inside the dark house and Kaoru muttering a string of curses while looking at HER direction.

Of course, Kaoru didn't mean to be rude to her friend who would complete the "party team". She was just so mad and embarrassed that she couldn't help but swear, as if swearing would shout her way out of the humiliation she felt. Megumi happened to arrive at the wrong moment and Kaoru's hell-of-a-stare was shot directly at her while she was getting out of her car, the continuous auto-swearing-mode-of-Kaoru not wearing off at the disturbance.

To Kaoru's dismay, her "rude welcoming" had only triggered the obligatory popping out of Megumi's almost-visible fox ears.

"Ohohohohohohohohoho~" Megumi's laugh was very distinguishable among the dinner table occupants.

"Ohohohohohohohohohohohoho~" Could it get any longer?

"Chill up, sis. They say 'laughter is the best medicine'!" Yahiko said in between stuffing his mouth full.

"And here you are, doing great favors for your soon-to-be doctor friend who has had a long day! Ohoh~" Megumi teased.

"Stupid black turtleneck, stupid dragon-like stomach... Why the hell were the lights off anyway?" Kaoru spat.

"The one in the kitchen was on. I was too hungry to notice and it's not my fault that you can't see it from outside. Really. Big deal. Not everyone acts like they're in a horror movie." Yahiko may love her sister, but his sharp mouth will always be an issue.

"I've had enough laughter for a week, ne, let's not watch anymore comedies later, ok." Isa spoke again.

"Oooooooow all of you, just shut up and eat please. Celebrate the fact that this is not my cooking. And Yahiko, don't wear that damn shirt ever again. You look like some drama-and-romance-actor wannabe."

On why she concluded that on Yahiko's shirt, nobody understood.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." was everyone's response.

"Yeah, whatever, sis." Yahiko answered much later because of the heavy laughing.

"Now I need my beauty rituals even more. Please get this slumber party on..." was Kaoru's last words before she shut her mouth and just let everyone get their fill of poking fun at her silliness.

* * *

The rest of the night went well. After enjoying dinner and a few shots of vodka, Yahiko resigned to his bedroom and played loud music to block noises that would surely come from the girls.

The girls changed to their pajamas and comfortable clothes and started laying out their "beauty tools" on the floor of Kaoru's huge bedroom. Kaoru's collection of nail polishes was there along with a lot of make-up that Isa has never tried or heard of. The girl likes prettying up, but she was never one for taking it to the next level. She just doesn't see the point of putting layered make-ups on her face. She thinks it's more intimidating and uncomfortable rather than appealing to the opposite sex. If not for the advance graduation gift that Aoshi-sama sent her, she wouldn't agree to excessively attempt to make herself look good for a couple of hours that would obviously fade the moment she takes a bath the next day.

So tonight, aside from putting on a cute nail polish, she has agreed to allow Kaoru and Megumi to doll her up in the name of girl-bonding and friendship. She took out her brand new DSLR with macro lens and started taking random pictures to capture the temporary beauty that these make-ups bring. She also took close-up shots and she was really pleased at how the eye shadows looked like colorful sand when taken using her macro lens. Aoshi-sama never fails to spoil her with gifts. Well, she's graduating in a few weeks, anyway, so she believes she deserves it. She took "glamour shots"with every opportunity she got (because the two thought that she was trying to get away by excusing herself as the "photographer") and hoped that her Aoshi-sama would agree that she looked more mature and beautiful in those pictures.

The "vanity phase" went on and the whole time the girls were busy experimenting with different make-up colors and asking Megumi's opinion on what the guys ogling her find attractive, the TV inside the room was turned on, on an embarrassingly sappy love story that would be fun to listen to on a girls' night, but would never be fun to spend your money to watch on inside the theatres. They simply love it that way - they all agree that doing things you wouldn't usually do would be so much fun if you'll give it a try with your girlfriends...

On an all-girl' slumber party...

On a weekend...

On the last chance you can be together for really long hours before one of you returns home to Kyoto.

* * *

Ano... this is my attempt at some humor + my desire to make a super girly chappie. ^^

While this might seem like a "filler" chapter, I promise that this will lead us to finding more about Isa's involvement to the Juppongatana.

Aoshi-sama, sadly, won't make his official appearance yet, so I am making use of the unromantic atmosphere to explore potential genres. I can't help it, I want to try writing as many as I can and connect it all in this fic. I also did some thinking and decided that if I were the reader of my fic, I'd be bored if it's crime-lords-fear-them all the way. I need to explore more emotions to make this realistic.

Last but not the least, rest assure that this is an Aoshi-Misao fic. (**Rinny**! Thank you for reading/reviewing. I appreciate it!) :)


	4. 03 Dawn

11.25.10

Disclaimer:  
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki.  
Part of the chapter title, Kaoru to Misao, is from the anime's soundtrack. It's a short, but really good piece. Very emotional. If music can only be incorporated here, that would be the perfect background music for this chapter.  
Lastly, the song featured is Sugar and Spice by The Ditty Bops.

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
~ Chapter 3 ~  
Dawn - Kaoru to Misao**

Kaoru woke up to find one of her visitors missing in their huge futon. The three purposely set the futon on the floor because it was more comfortable to lie there while chatting about their lovelife than squeeze themselves on Kaoru's medium-sized bed. They had a blast talking about Megumi's never-ending fanboys and flings while enjoying pillow fights and drinks. It wasn't until 3 that they gave in to sleep, so it wondered Kaoru why she suddenly woke up. The clock told her that it has only been 35 minutes of her beauty rest.

Noticing the missing person sitting on a bench on the balcony, Kaoru made sure that Megumi was sound asleep and made her way to the glass doors leading outside, grabbing 2 sweaters along her way. She'd been meaning to talk to Isa for years about a certain topic, but the cheery girl show no signs of opening up her "personal battles" to anyone, not even her best friend. She was planning to squeeze answers out of her once Megumi leave later this Sunday to prepare for her early shift the following day, but opportunity seems to be on her side. _Now might be the perfect time. It's now or never because Isa's graduating soon._ She gently opened the glass door and heard the girl humming from her seat. She knew the song, it was supposed to be sweet, but somehow it sounded heart-wrenching coming out of the girl's lips.

"I never want to marry or to die  
I just want to build a kite and fly it in the sky  
I only live in castles made of sand  
I don't care for many things untouched by human hand."

Having worn the first one, Kaoru slowly placed the extra sweater around the girl's shoulder. The girl didn't say a word, she only clutched the fabric around her and continued humming. Kaoru sat beside her and let her be. The two gazed at the stars while listening to Isa's sad song.

"These are the dreams of little girls  
Who don't want to grow up  
Sugar and spice, all things nice  
So they say we're made of  
Is that true..."

After the song ended, Kaoru noticed the silent tears. She held Isa's shoulder and the two leaned their heads on each other. Nobody spoke a word. Kaoru wasn't sure how to approach the girl. Despite the obvious sadness in her eyes, her friend was not one to show or talk about weaknesses. Isa, on the other hand, is debating with herself if she should break the silence and let Kaoru in, or remain silent for the rest of her college days in Tokyo. The latter was tempting and she can already picture her chickened out self going back inside, but something at the back of her mind tells her that this is the first step to her freedom. The pain she is feeling inside is already too much for one person to carry.

"K-kk—Kaoru...?" Isa started.

_Isa is stuttering? This might be harder than I think._ "Yes?"

"Did you ever had a dream, no a nightmare, and woke up to find that it's true?"

"Did you have one? Do you want to share? Maybe it won't be that bad if you say it." Kaoru smiled but deep inside, she was surprised at how Isa is putting it. She was sure her friend's problems are more than just a set of nightmares. Isa is hiding something big and regrettable and what it is, she will find out at this moment.

"You see, I keep having this dream. It wasn't clear until recently. All I seem to remember when I woke up is the red-colored flood passing through the buildings and trees. It was flowing everywhere, and at the middle of it was me. I was swimming my way out, although the flood doesn't seem to have an end."

"Isa, you always have weird dreams."

"I know, but this one's different. It kept on reoccurring until recently, when it became clear for the first time. I woke up sweating and crying and my heart ached because I remembered everything. But what's worse is when I realized that the flood was based on real things... very real and horrible things."

"You were in danger, Kaoru. There were street thugs ganging up on you, and I was there so I saved you. You were very thankful, but in between aiding you during the fight, I fell and got enveloped by a thick blanket of darkness. The next thing I know, I was drowning. I swam my way up to reach for the light that will save me, but when I reached the surface, it wasn't the light or you that I saw. The whole place was dark and the flood extends way beyond what my eyes could reach. I looked around, desperate to find the nearest elevated place that I could reach and that's when I realized that it wasn't just flood, it was a flood of thick blood. It was splashing on the ruined buildings and slowly dripping from the broken windows. It was crawling on the tree branches that I tried to reach. There was not a single soul, just me floating nowhere, surrounded by objects being carried by the rush of red. I was so scared, Kaoru. I thought I was going to die on my place." Isa paused to ponder on what she just said.

"Oh Isa, are you talking about _that_ time? Is that what's bothering you all along?" The realization hit Kaoru and the guilt was starting to eat her. "Isa, that_one_ time, those were just street thugs who wanted a good fight, and you saved me. I may develop a little phobia in the dark, but there's nothing wrong with that, everything's fine now!"

"It wasn't just _that one_ time. Everything's far from fine and I'm sorry I kept it all to myself. I was really guilty for almost separating you to Yahiko, your only family."

"Isa, now is the time to tell me. Please..."

"Have you heard about Lucid dreams? That's what happened to the rest of my nightmare. I swam for hours, forcing my stomach to be strong so I can move against the bloody waves. I finally found a shore where I crept, creating a trail of blood after me. I saw the only person existing there aside from me. It was Aoshi-sama. He was lying there, untouched by blood and unconscious. I shouted his name and ran to him immediately. I placed him on my lap and shouted hysterically to wake him up. Then I slowly realized I was dreaming. No matter how hard I shake him, he won't open his eyes. Part of me was relieved that it was only a dream, but part of me felt a bit panicky. Something was weird, I've been holding Aoshi-sama in my arms for some time now, but there is not a single drop of blood that reaches his skin whereas mine is as good as blood itself for all the red sticking on my hair, skin, and clothes. It was like I am dirty and tainted and my dream won't let me get through Aoshi-sama. I sobbed and repeatedly told myself that this is all a dream and soon I am going to wake up to find the people I care about still around me, safe and within my reach."

"And we are, Isa. We're here."

"But then I opened my teary eyes and I realized that it was still real." Isa replied too quickly. "My long-time nightmare is still there!"

"How..."

"Kaoru-chan, do you still remember when we were in our second year college?" With this, Isa received a nod from Kaoru. "I was in a bad mood one day and you were half-teasing, half-lecturing me about releasing my anger in sparring. It was then that we saw a couple of thugs looking at my angered face curiously across the street. You saw the serious look I was directing at them and you said I wouldn't seriously get into a fight right then. I did my usual bragging and approached them..."

**Start of Flashback**

"What's up, cutie?" One of the four men told Isa.

"Hey, hey, easy, man, she looks MAD." Said another one.

"Oh really? I thought she was just hot!" The first guy said and the others joined him in laughing."

"Hey, kid, if you're so mad, there's a motel nearby. Maybe we can help you release some anger." The third guy said, smirking.

This finally got a response from Isa. She smiled her sweetest smile that sent shivers on Kaoru's spine. The girl knew it was time to panic and she twisted her head quickly to the right then to the left and then back again, obviously looking for a strong enough man nearby who would help her stop the wrath that her friend's about to inflict on these guys.

"That's the smile. Who knows you can be cute like that. Now if you would only ask your friend to join us..." The third guy spoke again.

"Attempting to lure us and then calling me a kid... Why mister, you and your friends would be the perfect 'pastime' for a girl like me!" Then as soon as Isa said those words, she kicked the guy in front of her on his center. The guy fell backwards and held his front while cursing in pain.

"Ow! Isa... You're not in Kyoto anymore. There's no 'Aoshi-sama' to fetch you. You can't just pick a fight anywhere and get away with it." Kaoru's warning words were as good as a whisper.

"Man, did she just..."

"Hey, girl, who do you think you're fooling with?"

Isa shot them a glare and lunged towards the angry men, completely knocking them unconscious.

Then her attention was back on the hurting guy, awkwardly trying to rub off the pain. The guy had the look of panic, but the girl's mood suddenly seems a bit nicer. "I'm not gonna hurt you anymore, mister. You're gonna stay conscious for calling me 'cute'." She gave the man a wink before turning her back and walking towards Kaoru. The guy seemed even more frightened than before.

"Kaoru, I feel refreshed! Ne, let's grab a snack somewhere, I'm in a really good mood!"

A big sweatdrop was visible on Kaoru's forehead. She felt like melting on the ground along with her sweatdrop.

As they started walking away from the scene, the one Isa left awake started muttering... "These will cause bruises. Shishio-sama will jump with joy when he sees us." He said sarcastically while looking at his comrades' unconscious bodies.

**End of Flashback**

"We were unaware that those men were underlings of one of the biggest Yakuzas in Japan." Kaoru recalled.

"Yeah, they were so weak, they're probably under the lowest of the lowest of ranks." Isa said rather bitterly.

"That really tested our friendship, didn't it?"

**Continuation of Flashback**

"Where the hell are you taking me? You're the weaklings from before, right?" Kaoru shouted as loud as she can manage until her voice was muffled by the closing of the car trunk where she was placed.

When Isa arrived, she found a tied-up Kaoru battling a dozen men inside an old warehouse. Kaoru was strong and keeping up, but her tied hands were wearing her and the men were obviously enjoying the wriggling girl trying to run away from the makeshift limelight and failing. She was now covered with dirt and scratches were starting to form on her hands.

"Ah, the hot-tempered princess is here." It was one of the men Isa fought before and this brought everyone's attention to the newcomer. Everybody became alert, like the little girl before them is the most important mission they will ever handle. "Is she the one...?" The men whispered to each other and those who knew the girl were nodding, making the said girl aware that the four of them were all present.

"Yo. I see you're all there to avenge your weak selves! Now tell me, what is this all about? Can't you pick a fight with the 'princess' herself? In case you didn't know, I'm gonna be kind and fill you in. That girl you're holding hostage over there is the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. She's trained in sword fights and she owns a dojo. Low thugs like you are no match to her... to us!"

"Thanks, sugar, we know that. But is she trained to see and _fight_ in the dark... like a ninja?"

With that the limelight pointed towards the center where Kaoru is surrounded suddenly went off. Everything went black. There were no windows and metal clinking sounds indicated that the door was being locked. A huge gasp came from the girl, but nobody saw Isa's eyes growing large like saucers.

"If her hands and arms are tied like that, and she's not as trained as you are in the dark, can she fight when we take off her clothes like this..."

A scream came from Kaoru. While she is trying to force herself to adjust quickly in the darkness, a guy grabbed her arm and a few, the numbers unknown to her, were trying to rip off her clothes by slashing tiny daggers on her blouse. The girl thrashed and this woke Isa to her senses.

"ENOUGH! What do you want and what do you know about me?" Isa's playful tone is long gone. Her ninja training made her see clearly in the dark and she knows how to fight the second these guys spill the beans. She wanted to throw her kunais to show who's in control, but she noticed her opponents were all wearing pieces of armour strapped to their bodies, she cannot aim for a quick kill. It was an obvious hint that these men did their research.

"You see, Shishio-sama was really angry when we returned beaten, thanks to you, to our headquarters. The four of us got our little fingers chopped off; he said it was for fooling around with a student while doing our work and for risking the exposure of the drug-dealing that we were guarding at the time. He was so pissed off that he ordered some of his trusted men to find out more about you, just for the sake of knowing the 'strong and airy girl' who beat the crap out of his underlings. What he found out, however, were far more than what he could have wished for. Shishio-sama was very pleased."

"Shishio... you weaklings are from the Juppongatana Family - the infamous group of Yakuzas from Kyoto, now moving and extending their base in Tokyo." Isa concluded and got some annoyed reactions from most of the men for the "weaklings" remark.

"And you're Shinomori Isa – the Oniwabanshu's baby and the ward of the okashira, Shinomori Aoshi. You may be a brat, but we've heard that you're as skilful as the rest of your ninja clan."

"THE HELL I AM! You'll regret harming my friend!" Isa is now fuming. How can she be so reckless to pick a fight with these weak underlings of Juppongatana? _Aoshi-sama's not gonna like this._ She'll finish this as quickly as possible and get Kaoru away from here. "Kaoru, when I say don't move, don't move! I know all the secret passages of this place, I'll finish these men quickly and I'll untie you the first opportunity I get! Just make sure you're safe, you can handle that, can you?" Isa roared.

This signalled the start of fight. To Isa's surprise, more men came coming down from the secret entrance on the roof. She is now surrounded by around 50 men and there's still a lot left to hide Kaoru from her view. They may not be worthy opponents, but their numbers are a serious disadvantage. She held her kunais ready, throwing it on any open skin that she can reach while evading multiple punches and throwing her kecho giri every now and then to trip anyone that gets near her.

Kaoru is not moving from her position. The fighting screams tell her that there are now far more than a dozen men cornering them. It was quieter, however, on her side and it was all the more scaring her. Every now and then a hand would grab her in her sensitive areas and she fear that these men are really plotting to rape her. She would thrash now and then to keep the hands away, but the more she defends herself, the more she feels the men around her closing in. She could already visualize the smug look on their faces. As sharp as her instincts were, she was still having a hard time adjusting to the dark, panic was taking over and she felt ashamed for being a defenseless master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. If only she could release her hands from the tie at her back and grab a bokken substitute somewhere, then she could really promise her friend that she can take care of herself.

"Kaoru are you still ok?"

"Uh... Uh... HAI!"

"Hang in there!" Isa felt her friend's ki weakening and she figured she was really nervous by this time. Come to think of it, Kaoru has her own dojo and she knew enough self-defense, but sword-teaching schools don't really throw you in the dark with more than 50 wild thugs. It's her fault for involving her friend to the danger of the 'real' thing.

A couple more fights and Isa heard Kaoru's scream.

Two men managed to slash Kaoru's back and her lower thighs. They are now mutely laughing and used the distraction of her pain to pin her to the ground. Who knows how many men are holding her now. Kaoru kicked as hard as she can, but it was more to hide the fear she is feeling and the tears that are coming. She could feel her blouse being pulled in all directions, the buttons giving in, the men obviously eager for their turn. That's when one hand got to pull a strap of her bra downwards, causing the hard fabric to slide down and make her feel cold, as if the danger she's in isn't enough. She felt mute, she didn't know what happened to her voice. She couldn't shout to Isa what was happening. The men were no longer hiding their laughter and the one in front of her started reaching for her breast. That's when adrenaline came rushing at its peak.

With all the force that she can manage, Kaoru gathered all her strength to pull herself up. She head-banged the guy touching her and it was so fast nobody had stepped in to stop her on time. She did it again and the guy stumbled back, crying in pain. She felt the hold on her arms loosening, probably because of everyone's shock on her sudden bravery. She was ready to use her tied hands to smack the next thing that comes near, when the guy she head-banged was there again out of nowhere and sprawled over her. She could feel she has insulted him and his furious was visible on the hard slap that he gave her. She couldn't explain, however, why it was in slow motion and bits and pieces of her life were flashing before her. It was too late when she realized she was fainting. Her head hit the floor hard and what's worse is that it wasn't even a smooth ground. As soon as she lost consciousness, blood started pooling under her head.

"Man, we're only supposed to scare her to manipulate the ninja girl, we're not supposed to kill her."

Everyone was frozen in place and that one statement was heard in the whole warehouse. The rest of the thugs, along with Isa who was still tirelessly fighting them, stopped whatever they were doing. Everyone was waiting for the turn of events to sink in.

Due to the chaos happening below, none from the crowd noticed the lone figure watching them from the ceiling. "Maa, Jin-eh messed up again. The Kamiya girl is covered in blood, there may be a chance she is still alive, though." The boy said through the phone.

Hearing the new sound jerked everybody's heads upwards.

"Seta-sama is here? Shishio-sama will punish us!"

"What shall we do?"

"Somebody secure Jin-eh!"

"I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO KNOCK THE GIRL HARD"

Everybody spoke at the same time. Isa rushed to her friend and with everyone panicking, nobody cared anymore what she's doing. A part of her is relieved that her friend is still breathing. It was a small part, though, as she wasn't sure if these men are going to continue with their attack.

"Soujiro, is the Shinomori girl beside her friend?" It was their Shishio-sama's voice at the end of the line. He had already pictured his men destroying the plan.

"Hai" Soujiro replied.

"If we put an end to the girl's life, we lose our tool for blackmailing the girl and we will even gain an enemy. Lay back for a while and let the girl bring her friend to a hospital. She is too troubled right now to fight back. When everything's settled, we shall meet her again and by that time, we will get what we want from her. And about the cause of failure, you already know what to do with it."

"Consider it done, Shishio-sama." Soujiro turned his eyes downwards, creating a more fearful look from the boy with the innocent, smiling face. "Shishio-sama has ordered you to retreat. Remember, leave... no... trace. And make sure that the 'failure' comes with me when we get outside." Then he turned her heard in Isa's direction. "Ja, mata ne... Shinomori-san."

The branded failure tried to fight his way out, but the rest of the men made sure that he won't escape. They all know what awaits him, but they wouldn't save him for anything because each and every one of them values their lives first. They were sure the one who'd go with Soujiro would lose more than just a little finger.

**Inside one of the first-class rooms in Tokyo Medical**

It has been a month since Kaoru's misfortunate accident that led her into a state of comma. She gave no signs of waking up. Isa and Yahiko went to visit her everyday and while staying at the hospital, Isa met Megumi, the trainee assigned to monitor Kaoru's progress. Upon learning that the three of them are going to the same university, Megumi felt a little more attached and sympathetic to Kaoru and she decided right away to make friends with the sorrowful Isa. Well, Isa wasn't really in a sociable mood, but she was keeping a tough facade for her friend and that gained Megumi's admiration. She continued to support them in her own little ways and hoped that time will heal their wounds and give them the chance of developing a good friendship.

Megumi's observations weren't very far from the turmoil that Isa is feeling inside. Of course, she appreciates the concern that the beautiful woman shows, but it was like a huge wall started to grow around her and it's reminding her all the time to think of her priorities and nothing else. Deep inside she is dying with guilt and she can't even punish herself because she knew she had to be responsible while her friend is asleep.

While Aoshi is kind enough to send money for Kaoru's hospital bills (Isa calling it a "mere" accident), there were other matters to attend to like the Kamiya dojo and Kaoru's brother, Yahiko. Every afternoon, Isa would stay at the dojo to assist Yahiko in training Kaoru's students. Isa once insisted that Kaoru would be happy if Yahiko's the one beside her when she wakes up, but Yahiko told her that as much as he wants to dedicate all his time to his sister, he has school and the dojo to attend to and "not everyone has the luxury of doing whatever they want, knowing that money is just a call away." This really hit Isa hard. She began to realize how spoiled she is that no matter how much she gets into trouble, her Aoshi-sama is always 'a call away' to save her, fetch her from the school office, or pay for any material thing that would cheer her up. She knew the teenager meant no harm and she took it as an eye-opener to learn how to be independent. From now on, she will deal with her problems on her own. She should've listened to Kaoru from the very start. Her words still ring inside her head, _"You're not in Kyoto anymore."_

As Isa continues to ponder, she has also realized that Yahiko is the more important matter in this situation. She may have Aoshi and her ninja clan that's as good as a real family, but Kaoru is Yahiko's own flesh and blood. She has never thought about it before, but now it seems that more and more burdens are surfacing to add to her pile of guilt. If they are going to lose Kaoru, then Yahiko will be all alone and a lone, depressive teenager is not a good thought to visualize. The boy may be tough, but one wrong move and he may stray from the right path. This will definitely add to her heavy growing responsibilities.

Yahiko and Kaoru's parents were separated. Kaoru's mom had Yahiko and he started training at the Kamiya dojo at an early stage. When his parents died, Kaoru's father, who is already attached to the boy, decided to take him in and become his new guardian. Nobody protested because Kaoru's the only one the boy had left, and the said sister is more than happy to accept the boy in the Kamiya household. Now that Kaoru's father has passed away, the two siblings only have each other as their family. Surely, none of them would want the other to go away. Isa knows this all too well because she has always admired the closeness that she has witnessed from those two siblings. They can argue all day and still know that they love each other. Most of the time, she is actually jealous of their blood connections. She would wonder what it feels like to know that you can get close to a person without doing much effort because you are family and families don't drift apart no matter what you do.

"This is giving me a headache... What have I gotten myself into? Promise me, you'll wake up soon, Kaoru."

**End of Flashback**

"But it's all right now." Kaoru said with her sincerest smile. "Didn't I woke up and Megumi, you and I became the closest of friends? Yahiko's all ok with it and pestering us again." It was then that she noticed the deep sorrow that was Isa's eyes. "What are you talking about Shishio's motive? Is there something more that happened between you and that group?" She pressed.

"I had a lot of time to think about this during my visits at the hospital... To tell you the truth, Kaoru, I confronted them again and I never lost contact with them ever since." This got a horrified gasp from Kaoru. "Like I said, I've decided to deal with things on my own and not put the people I care in danger. I was so confident with my own skills and determination that I confronted them alone. It wasn't hard to find them at all. They were just there, waiting for me to show up. What has surprised me is that they wanted more, not from my ninja family, but only from me. They wanted me to do 'little favors' for them while I'm staying in Tokyo."

"The leader, Shishio Makoto, said it'd be good if they can get me to act on my own because nobody really wants to involve all the Oniwabanshu in Kyoto. That would start a huge fight and since he has admitted that he is secretly gathering trained assassins to work for him, he can't really promise that no one would get hurt. I could tell that he has other plans that he's not willing to tell me, but I couldn't ask any more when he spoke his next words. He said, 'You cannot guard your friend all the time and her little brother works part-time on a small shop who owes me. I can ask the owner anytime to hand him as his payment. The boy is strong and he'd be fit for our lifestyle. It doesn't help that you can ask him to quit the job because my men are all over you now. Let's just make things easier for the both of us. Save your Kaoru-chan from another accident.'"

"Of course I wouldn't give in that easily, I still tried to talk my way out. I told him Aoshi-sama can beat him anyway and he just gave me that sickest laugh and told me that he'll make sure to kill you before my okashira arrives in Tokyo. I already felt defeated, Kaoru."

"So I asked him again, for the hundredth time, 'why me?', 'why have me when you have all those fighters under you?' and he just told me that there's something I can do that his men cannot. He didn't say what it was, he just told me go home and think about it."

"I wanted to cry for help and to demand for more answers, but the moment he told me to go home, I felt my feet walking away from him until I was able to run outside. I ran for hours to nowhere in particular, but somehow I ended back in front of the hospital. I went straight to your room and I saw Yahiko, sleeping on the chair beside you. I saw your face, Kaoru, you were sleeping but you looked like you were in pain. As much as I hated it, I can already see myself agreeing to Shishio's deal. My best friend is suffering in the hospital and more people will suffer if I didn't agree. And it's all because I acted like a brat and picked a fight with the wrong people."

"Aww, Isa, why didn't you tell me? All this time I thought you were just overworking yourself with guilt. If only I knew that those men were threatening you... Maybe we could call the police or something." Kaoru brokenly told her friend.

"Iie, Kaoru. I'm a ninja and I know how things work in the underground society. They mean it when they say they're going to hurt you. They have people everywhere, some, you may not be aware, are just lurking beside you. Although I admit that at first I was thinking of telling you, but I know that you'd get mad and insist that we get some help, so I let go of the thought right away. I also noticed that we were being watched when we were together. I brushed it off as nothing, but deep down, I know Shishio's men are making sure that I follow his plans."

Kaoru hugged her friend and started sobbing on her shoulder. Isa felt sad about relieving the pain and finally telling her friend about it, but she noticed that she wasn't much of a crybaby anymore. She just continued patting her friend's back lovingly. "Shhhh, now you're the one crying. Please don't feel bad for me, Kaoru."

Kaoru ignored her plea and this time, she's the one who started talking.

"I knew there's a reason why a part of you became distant after the accident. When I woke up, I felt you hugging me, but when I finally focused my eyes, you were gone. Yahiko said you only went to the bathroom, but we waited and you never came back. That's when I was introduced to Megumi and I asked her to summon you. She went to the bathroom and heard terrible sobs. She knew you knew she was there, and yet none of you showed up to the other. You just continued crying inside one of the stalls and Megumi just leaned on the counter, waiting for you to calm down. When you were done crying, you told Megumi to just leave and tell me you're happy I'm ok. You went home without seeing me! After that you went back to your apartment and I've heard from your landlord that you didn't leave your place for four weeks!"

"Everyone was worried about you. When you finally showed up at the university, you had to drop a few subjects because you couldn't keep up anymore. You were obviously thinner, but you told everyone that it was just nothing and that you didn't even noticed the changes. You expertly delivered your made-up story of feeling homesick and getting carried away with your vacation in Kyoto, but I knew better. And then you went back to your cheerful self, always keeping a smiling face and a bubbly attitude for everyone to see. Soon the people around you were fooled and eventually, we started hanging out again – me, you, and now there's Megumi. You maintained this happy but warning facade that it was just threatening to bring up that incident."

"But I was never fooled, Isa. Megumi and I noticed the sad look that became permanent in your eyes. We just brushed it off, seeing that you obviously didn't want your humorless self to be known to others. As for the two of us, we became best of friends the moment we met at the university, I practically know you throughout your whole stay in Tokyo. As much as it hurts me to see you like this, I knew that if the situation is reversed, I'd rather have you maintain that happy-go-lucky side of yours, and so I never pushed the topic. But being your bestfriend, I've taken note of all the changes. The signs were all there..."

"You became obsessed when sparring, and everyone who sees you admires you, alright, but there was just this powerful energy emitting from you that makes you scary for a few minutes, like it's not you, like your world revolves around getting stronger and nothing else. It's disturbing. Your spar mates may find it intriguing and cool, but for me, it's plain scary."

"There's also this one time that I stayed in your apartment and I had to answer the phone while you were taking a bath. Now I feel bad throwing this at you, but it's important that I bring this up. A guy's voice was talking on the other side of the phone, I was mentally telling myself to tease you later, but what did I heard next? The guy turned out to be a doctor and he's telling me to remind you to NOT miss your 'session' for the third time! What is happening, Isa?"

"Ack..." Isa tried to butt in, but it seems Kaoru is not done talking.

After noticing the flinching expression on her friend, Kaoru's face became more serious, but her voice became softer, more solemn. The hint of accusation was now gone. "The worst of it all is your nails." This produced a knowing gasp from her friend. She hit the target and she believes her friend can no longer hide anything after this. "After the accident, you always keep an alcohol and a strong perfume in your bag, and your nails, you became obsessed with red nails. Megumi, being fond of red, said that maybe you were just exploring your womanly side, but to me, it looked like blood. You never tried any other shades of nail polish... It was always that same blood red that cannot escape the attention of anyone who walks in front of you."

Isa release a very long and tired sigh. She knew she would have to explain this someday. That day happens to be today. She took a deep breath to prepare herself in narrating another gruesome part of her demeanor.

"My exact deal with Shishio is that I'd be his secret assassin. My ninja training was an advantage and he would make use of it to kill those that he no longer desire to exist. He promises to avoid using me too often, so I can still focus on what he calls my 'university life' and also, to avoid being 'conspicuous'. He says a small girl like me would be unnoticeable and he just wants to experience giving orders to someone like that, he says my fresh face would do his business some good. He also told me that when I'm done with college, he will give me a final mission and that would be the end of my hell days. As if this whole deal is just another college experience."

"He would pay me serious amounts of money that I would only lock inside one of my drawers. In the end, though, I couldn't even bare thinking that it's there, so from then on, I'd burn his money right after I'm out of his sight."

"My 'missions' weren't really far from the things that we do when I'm working for the Oniwabanshu. The only difference is that the people we ninjas attack are officially branded as 'criminals' that are wanted by the police and if we ninjas ever got to hurt them, it was mainly because of self-defense. In the Juppongatana, however, not all of my targets have serious criminal records, some are just ordinary people from low ranks that managed to piss Shishio and gave him a hard time tracking them down. That's how he often makes use of me. But the most important factor here is that I don't just defend myself, I search those targets to kill them right away. And, like what Aoshi-sama points out to me whenever I show off in our missions, I've 'never killed before' and one wrong move will lead me to a lifetime of pain and consequences. Of course, back then he was always there to back me up, so I never really thought that I will ever carry that kind of burden on my shoulders."

"So it's true... it is blood that you're showing when you paint your nails like that..." By this time, Kaoru is looking at Isa intently, their hands lightly over each other and Kaoru is tracing the outline of Isa's red nails."

"Aa..." Isa took another deep breath.

"My first kill was a mess. I was a nervous wreck and I acted like I'm no expert in Martial Arts. I was ordered to kill a group of men and the first guy that I managed to hurt, didn't drop dead like he was supposed to. Instead, he continued his counterattacks and the whole lot of us were wildly fighting each other, just hurting anything that hits us. It was really done badly and the guy's blood was flying everywhere while I panic in between knocking him down and fighting the rest. I got many stabs, but I couldn't feel anything but the warm tears on my cheeks. Everything was blurry and I feel like I was already seeing in red. I wanted to faint but I had to keep moving for my survival. When I realized that nobody's fighting me back anymore, I tried to focus my eyes and saw the scattered bodies that I managed to kill. Blood was pooling everywhere. My shoes were no longer on my feet and I am standing in the middle of a sticky red pool of death. I let my knees give in, I couldn't care about my clothes at this point, I was just glad I made it alive. I absently dipped my fingers in blood, making my fingernails look like they were bloody red, too. The pain that I've been ignoring started to surface and looking at my bloodied self made me wonder how much part of this pool came from me. My mind became blank and I couldn't comprehend anything, anymore. I did the first thought that went through my mind... I started laughing."

"I didn't know where that came from. All I can think of is that I felt lust... bloodlust."

Kaoru ran out of words to say. She leaned on Isa's side, one hand holding her upper arm in a death grip, the other brushing her long loose locks on her back in a circular manner.

No matter what her friend has been through, she can never make herself disapprove of her weird behaviour. People have their good and bad sides, some even have their "strange" sides. This is all a part of who they are and at this moment, Kaoru promised herself that she will accept everything that she has learned wholeheartedly and that she will never express any discomfort towards it. She never felt herself more attached to Isa and she has never felt more trusted in her entire life. If staying at her side will ease her sorrow just one bit, then that tiny bit will meant a lot to Kaoru and she will do her best to show her friend that she is worth telling her deepest secrets.

After a few seconds of silence, Isa started giggling. "I must be sick, ne Kaoru?"

"No, you're not. No way... Don't say that..."

"Once I got used to it, I thought it was easy to shut down one's thoughts and just follow orders. I was so afraid that if I fought back, things will end the wrong way and I won't be able to see Aoshi-sama again. But in truth, I was also afraid that if I stop for even one minute to ponder, I will realize that I've gone mad and that it's the only thing that I will be from now on. I'm not everybody's sun anymore; I'm a killing machine who needs to keep herself in action because that's the only thing that I can ever be good for."

"Ne Isa, I didn't act like the shoulder-to-cry-on type of friend, did I?" Kaoru said as a sudden thought crossed her mind.

"All this time, I've been letting you wallow on your guilt alone because I thought that you were just overreacting about my accident. I didn't want to humor any drama, so I thought that if you weren't gonna tell us about it, the best way to approach it is to just leave that part of you alone and let time heal it. I've been a bad friend. I didn't see in between the lines. All this time you were keeping it inside for my sake, and all this time all I was thinking was how to recover from the trauma and make my life back to normal. I didn't realize that you were hurting so much more inside. You've done a lot and yet everything was about me... And I dare call myself your bestfriend!"

"Everything is supposed to be about you." Isa responds with a smile. "It is a ninja's duty to be responsible for his actions and to protect his loved ones from the shadows. I don't have to act like a hero to admit that I am at fault, and I am making up for it by ensuring your family's safety. Kaoru, you are my loved one here in Tokyo. You are the first person who befriended me and not treat me like a brat who is just looking for a fight. You taught me how to be independent while I am away from my hometown and from the people who pamper me. We have so many good memories together. If I let myself fall, it's because I know I am doing it for the right person. You deserved to live and you deserved happiness. No matter how many crimes I did, I cannot bring myself to regret anything because I know that I have protected that smile on your face. I have saved a friend's life and a boy from losing his only family. I have no blood relative, so I know its value all too well. You are the living proof that I am still doing a good cause."

Tears were threatening to fall from Kaoru's eyes. She used to feel that she was an ordinary girl with no significance in this world. To hear a friend regard her with so much love and importance felt so unreal.

She was out of words. She was showered with so much passion and honesty that she felt it wrong to mouth false, comforting words. She knew at the moment that she has no answer to Isa's problems. And so she did the only thing that she could manage, she pleaded with her eyes and showed all here emotions through its depths. Isa got the message and understood that her friend is struggling for words, asking if there is still a way to drag her away from all this.

"I don't think I can still be saved, Kaoru. At least not now. I would like to think that there is still hope for me, but hoping is another emotion that kills me from the inside. Right now, all I want to do is to keep my facade, and do well on both my real life, my studies, and my secret life. I'm at the point where I am tired resisting, but I am also tired of moving and following. That's why I finally told you all of this. Something tells me that this change will give birth to another hope that will be healthy for me, for a change. That's why all I'm asking of you is to stay by my side to be the friend that I need you to be... to stay as my connection to a bit of normalcy."

By this time, Kaoru's tears have already escaped her eyes. Isa followed its path with her eyes until they formed a darkening patch on the fabric where it fell upon.

"And trust me, Kaoru, you are doing a great job. Your eyes held no accusation and that is more than enough."

"Maa, Kaoru, please stop with that sad look. You don't want me to cry again, do you? Besides, being sad over me is bad for your health. I am trying my best to stay sane, anyway, I promise. What are all those 'sessions' for if I'm gonna give up and lose myself easily? I just miss Aoshi-sama, that's all. He's the reason why I practice kodachis more often than kunais, you know. My biggest fear is that he won't like me anymore when he finds out and all that'll be left are mere memories. I mastered the weapon to make it my new companion. I guess deep inside, I just want more of him to stay by my side. I was wishing so badly that my weapon was Aoshi-sama himself, never losing his hold on my tainted hands."

This didn't help as Kaoru sobbed more, wetting her clothes in a very unlady-like manner.

"Come on, Kaoru, don't feel sorry for me now. There's no point in sinking lower in this quicksand of mine. I need you as my hold on 'normalcy'. At least when I'm with you and Megumi, I can act like a part of the society. I can be the clumsy but outstanding university student that I've always been and I can hang out with you girls and do things that normal students enjoys... things like our obligatory slumber party!"

"I know, Isa. Goddammit, I know. This is just sad... so sad... that's all." Kaoru tried to keep her voice clear. The last thing she needs is to ruin the drama with her clogged nose causing difficulty in her breathing and talking. Unknown to her, Isa is already smiling inside because of her animated eyes becoming round, shiny, and watery.

So Kaoru tried again,

"I guess, that's it then. We'll keep things 'normal' between us and act like nothing happened... [insert unpleasant sniffing here] But if they ever fucking hurt you, Isa, you need to tell me, ok... [more sniffs] I'll be the good best friend from now on!"

"And about... dare I call it your 'dreams'. As long as you acknowledge that you are dreaming and that you're not giving in, it may take time, lots of it, but as long as you hold on, you can assure yourself that someday you will wake up. And the best feeling is when you have finally opened your eyes and realize that the nightmare is damn over."

"I believe you." Isa responds with a sad smile. Only this time, there's a positive light showing in her eyes.

"I really hope so. I always daydream of the day I'd wake up to be back in my cosy room in Kyoto, to hug Aoshi-sama before eating breakfast with him, of course cooked by my fave cook Okon, and then to practice throwing my kunais with the rest of my ninja family. To go on what I used to think as 'badass missions' but remain safe because Aoshi-sama is on my side."

"Hey if you're going to daydream, might as well make your Aoshi-sama fall in love with you when he sees you all grown up! Ohohohohohoho~!" Kaoru laughed Megumi's infamous laugh to start brightening up the mood. This proved to be effective as Isa laughed, too, in the same Megumi-tone, and both girls smiled on what felt like their first breather since this heavy revelation.

"Isa, you have grown up now. You're much more mature than a lot of people I know and I'm sure even if I haven't met that Aoshi-sama of yours, he will understand what you've been through and Aoshi-san will still care for you!"

"I hope so Kaoru, I hope so. Before I go back to Kyoto, I'm gonna do something about this, once and for all. I'm gonna talk my way out to Shishio and I promise I will find a way to do this while keeping you safe. If I have to beg for that dreadful _condition_that he's been heating up for me, then so be it. I don't plan on doing this forever, I'm gonna be back to my hometown soon. No matter what happens, I swear I'm gonna find a way back to my old life."

By this time, the two were past the drama stage. Kaoru hugged Isa, not as tight as before, but promises more sincerity and support. "Just be safe, Isa. Be safe for me."

The two went inside to call it a night. They lay down on each side of a deeply asleep Megumi. They snuggled on the unaware woman like little girls enjoying an older sister's warmth.

In the middle of the silence, Isa spoke her goodnight words, "Ne Kaoru, I'm sorry for making you a laughing stock earlier. I know you're afraid of the dark because of the incident..."

Kaoru shut her off with her sleepy words, "Nevermind, nevermind."

Isa smiles and then let herself fall asleep.

A few minutes later, dawn came.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I changed the title from **No More Secrets** to **A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story**(based from Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story). I know, I can be so indecisive. But then the first one just doesn't sound right from the very start. It also bothered me that there are other fics out there with the same title. ^^

I also know this is exaggeratedly long, but I didn't mean this intentionally, the details just got carried away and as I reread the whole thing, I feel like all of it deserved to be in this chapter. So if you read everything that I've written, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. This chapter plays a small role in explaining the flow of the story, and an even smaller role in showing its progress, but it is filled with things that are personally attached to me and it meant a great deal to finally upload it.

Nightmares are something that has always been a part of me. Sometimes I don't know if I should be pleased or regretful that I often remember my dreams when I woke up. Lucid dreaming is the state when you know that you are dreaming. This has happened to me some time, too. Isa's dream is actually based on a real one, only edited to fit the circumstances in this story. And last but not the least, this fic is dedicated to my dog who died last September. I've been writing this chapter since then and this is the longest time it took me to write a chapter so far, so I'm sorry if it can be dramatic, but I just had to let all the stress and sadness that's building up inside and ended up pouring my emotions in this fic.

Anyway, after letting this chapter stay idle for a while, focusing on school (which is the main source of stress), and going back to reading other Aoshi-Misao fanfics, I have realized that the number one reason why I am enjoying Aoshi-Misao fanfiction is that is has become an escape route to stress. In other words, I have realized how important it is to keep a fic "light". I don't want real-life burdens to extend on my pastimes (aka fanfic), therefore, I promise (at least for the next few chapters) to keep everything more cheerful and Misao-like. :)

Thank you for reading! Please review so I'll know how to improve!


	5. 04 God of Death Delivers a Message

11.25.10

Disclaimer:  
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to a guy with spiral eyes named Nobuhiro Watsuki. Well, most of the time, my eyes are getting all spiral-y too, but it still doesn't change anything! I need to make my own Aoshi-sama plushie so I can at least say that I OWN HIM! *defeated sigh*

Enjoy reading!

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 4 ~**  
God of Death Delivers a Message

Aside from the revelation that was never mentioned again, the slumber party went really well. It was a blast for the girls who haven't had so much weekend fun in a while, given that they all have their busy schedules – Isa finalizing university work for graduation, Megumi balancing her classes and training at the hospital, and Kaoru, who graduated first among the three, now serious on building a name for their small-time dojo and working on it full time.

The scene Isa and Kaoru woke up to was far from any thoughts that their preoccupied minds were busy thinking however...

It was an understatement to say it was "out of character"...

It was the aspiring doctor, Megumi, playing a video game with the brat Yahiko. Both were in a hunched down posture, had narrowed eyes, and too engrossed in their game.

When the two girls, asked if there was anything for breakfast, the two gamers shouted "yours are ready over there" at the same time. This made Isa and Kaoru sweatdrop. And after looking at each other and realizing that there'd be no more response, the two headed to the kitchen area to enjoy their breakfast.

* * *

After an hour of having a lazy breakfast to themselves, a grinning Megumi and a sour-looking Yahiko joined Isa and Kaoru at the breakfast table.

"Are there any pancakes left? Eggs? Hotdogs?" Yahiko said while butting in the girls' conversation.

"Give the boy what he wants. Such energy is needed if he can't beat a pro like me. Ohohohohoho!" Megumi sat beside Isa at the table.

Yahiko was glaring at the older woman, but Megumi shoved him off with a flip of her hair and started a new conversation with the other girls.

"So. Are we going to spend the rest of the morning filling our stomachs or are we gonna go shopping now?"

Kaoru was the one who answered. "Ano... Megumi, you were the one too absorbed in your game. We were actually waiting for one of you to lose." Yahiko directed his glare at Kaoru. "Ah eh... What I mean is we were waiting for you to finish the game so we could prepare now. Hehehehe."

As if Yahiko's morning is not bad enough, Isa just had to speak her thoughts and add to his annoyance. "Megumi-samaaaaa, that was so cool! Could you teach me some of your moves when we're hanging out later?"

It was time for Yahiko to let out his rage. "Hey you can't just beat me and get out of our house safe! I demand a rematch!"

Megumi replied to Kaoru as if she didn't hear Isa and Yahiko's comments, "Ohohohohohoho, is that so? Well then, we should get ready now! We're going to use my car, right? Oh Kaoru, there's this new jewelry store at this mall, I'm sure you guys will love it! We need to try one of those!" She continued to ramble, not noticing that Yahiko was already hovering like a threatening volcano behind her head.

Before a war broke out between the two gamers, Isa forced four whole pancakes on Yahiko's mouth, causing the boy to step back and unwillingly savour the food.

"We'll be out now, Yahiko-kun!" Isa said with a teasing tone. "We leave the house to you!"

Kaoru tapped her brother's shoulder and sent her friend a very thankful look.

By the time Yahiko managed to swallow the pancakes without choking, Megumi's laughter has already faded and the girls have already gone upstairs.

"Damn that doctor. No degree can beat me in this game!" _Well she's hasn't completed her degree yet, but... whatever._

The leftover food, though, was very tempting that it made him sit back and taste another bite.

_It'd be a waste to leave the delicious food._ And with that, Yahiko started eating the rest of the pancakes.

_We cooked too much pancakes... Nomnomnom... Uh, so many plates... Wait. Who'll be the one to clean all these? Nomnom..._

As Yahiko was busy with his thoughts, he has accidentally pushed one of the vacated plates. It revealed a small note hidden underneath.

"The last one eating deserves to do the cleaning." It was Kaoru's handwriting.

"CHIKUSHOU!"

* * *

**Room 412  
Isa's flat**

Isa was acting like her genki self when she entered her flat. She was recalling her shopping date with the girls and how her best of friends would always complain about their lovelife (they were all single) despite their charming looks, and in Megumi's case, despite having so many suitors. She couldn't agree more with everything that her friends said. She believes she's attractive enough and she knows that her good grades were no easy matter. And when she thinks about it, it all boils down to her being brought up by the genius okashira, Shinomori Aoshi. It is also because of that very reason that she couldn't detest her zero lovelife. Deep inside, she still daydreams that her Aoshi-sama would see her as an adult and as an equal one day. She strives to be better in academics, so she could make that special someone always proud of her, and as much as she hates to admit it, she wouldn't want to let go of her surname, Shinomori. She's well aware that it's not her real name, but knowing that she uses her mentor's name always gives her the assurance that they will always be attached to each other, whether a real love blossoms between them or not.

As she reaches her living room area, she falls down on the sofa out of habit, leaving her overnight bag and shopping paperbags neglected on the floor. Megumi had given her a ride home and her daydreams were now in Kyoto, wondering if her Aoshi-sama would allow her to get her own car next time.

It was then that she saw the neatly folded paper, standing out in the middle of her black coffee table, and she knew her daydreams were gone before she even had the time to wrap it up. She stared at it for a few more seconds before whining loudly like a child having tantrums. Old habits die hard and that part of her will always show that growing up only made her a big girl.

"WAAAAAAH! YADA, YADA, YADA YO! WHY MUST YOU SHOW UP WHEN I'M FEELING BETTER? I DON'T, DON'T, DON'T LIKE YOU AT ALL!"

She knew what the folded paper meant, but she ignored it and stomped her way to the bedroom. As she heavily plopped herself on her bed, she let out a sad sigh and forced herself to sleep. Never minding the fact that she didn't freshen up or change into more comfortable clothes.

* * *

**Tokyo University**

It was an ordinary mid-afternoon, but to one Shinomori Isa who had just left her class for the day, it was one of those dreadful afternoons where the very familiar god of death would come to her and deliver a message.

As she walks her way out of her building, she recalls the short note on her coffee table. She didn't bother reading it until morning, but seeing the foreign paper on her place was already enough for her to understand the message.

It was a note from Shishio Makoto. One of his men, the usual one who's always eager to volunteer himself for work, would come to Isa today to give the details for her new mission.

Isa found a very large tree in the university grounds and got herself in a comfortable position to eat the snacks that she brought. The cool breeze brought by the tree was just right for your typical warm afternoon and its large branches would provide enough shadows to hide the identity of the person underneath. It was the most convenient spot for her snack time and unwanted transaction. She would leisurely wait here until the god of death arrives.

Unfortunately for her, the god of death arrived not so long after. He was wearing a white blouse under his cotton vest, a pleated skirt, and ungodly knee-high socks matched with leather shoes.

Of course the infamous scythe was not with him this time.

"Yoohooo, the beautiful Kamatari is here!"

"And I'm near. You don't have to shout to my ear." Isa annoyingly responds while biting to her sandwich.

"Nice one! But we should talk about business." Kamatari winks. "Hand me that box of sushi over there please."

"Ugh, here. Indulge yourself."

"YAY! So how do you like my new outfit?"

"I thought we're going to talk about business?"

"But don't you like it? I specifically bought this skirt to be in character when I sneak inside your school!"

"You actually made yourself appear more conspicuous wearing that skirt." Isa paused for a moment. Then she realized commenting on Kamatari's outfit would lead them nowhere, so she added as an afterthought, "...but it looks good on you. It's very... feminine."

Kamatari squealed with delight. She lunged himself towards the girl. "I know, right? Oooooh you're so nice, Isa! That's what I like about you, you know how to appreciate fashion! If only you'd be more open to us, I'm sure we'd be close friends!"

_More like I tolerate cross-dressers._ "I'm sorry, Kam, but you know I have no intention of being more 'open' to your so-called family." Before the topic went out of hand, she immediately changed the subject back to the lighter topic. "Anyway, you do know that this is a university, not high school. There's no need for you to be wearing..." She trailed off while pointedly looking up and down at Kamatari's imitation of a high school girl's uniform.

Kamatari knew what she's doing, as this has not been a new issue, so he let it go. "Oh, but I've heard that even college guys love girls in school uniforms. I thought it'd be seductive to go in one, knowing that you don't have uniforms in this university."

"Hmmm..." Isa went back to her sandwich. "True enough. You're free to wear what you like."

On moments like this when Isa is not so cold towards Kamatari, or any member of Juppongatana for that matter, that he likes the girl the most. He knows she's only acting civil towards him, but he was serious when he said that he really liked her. If their circumstances were a little different, they both knew that they'd get along really well. Sometimes he envies Soujiro for befriending Isa first, because in the end, it was only that boy that Isa allowed to get close to her from their family.

To show his appreciation of the girl's nice attitude, he sat closer to the girl leaning her back on the tree.

Isa, too, appreciated the gesture. She would never admit it, but she is also starting to like the cross-dresser beside her. She'd been thankful that people have their good and bad sides, for the good side of one Kamatari helps to ease the pain of her involvement with his Juppongatana Family. Sometimes she'd find the transvestite to be funny that when she got home, she'd admit to herself the he is, at least, one of the few things that made her life bearable.

It still, however, doesn't change the fact that Kamatari kills for a living and that he is one of the most valued member of her loathed Yakuza family. Known as the "god of death", Kamatari brings eternal darkness to anyone who challenges his scythe, as well as his boss Shishio Makoto.

With a sad smile, Isa offered Kamatari some more food. "Hey, you haven't really tried these. They're good, too."

With a beaming smile, Kamatari accepted the snack and the two ate in silence, Kamatari sitting more lady-like than Isa to hide his true gender hidden beneath his pleated skirt.

* * *

Clapping her hands, Kamatari stood up with a jump. "Thank you for the food, it was really delicious. I know you cooked the sushis yourself and I am honoured for being allowed to taste it."

He stole a glance towards Isa and his eyes now held the authority that was not present a few seconds ago.

"Your new target is Sakamoto Shibumi. A Mafia from Italy is expanding their smuggling business here in Japan, and Sakamoto, who decided to work with them, is the one in charge of borrowing large amounts of money from Shishio-sama. Due to his addiction to women and his continuous lack of luck in gambling, his business ended up screwed and now he is planning to run away from his debts by sneaking away from Japan."

"We were hinted that he has found new connections and he is now planning to leave the country illegally by paying some men to sneak him in a passenger ship going to South Korea. His business partners in Italy are not yet aware of his unpaid loans here and they have not shown any concern in his lack of activity. We believe they were leaving everything in Sakamoto's hands and will only show their full support if his business have proven to be successful. Our source says he is planning to hide in Korea for a while and then fly to Italy when he is out of Shishio-sama's priory list. Your job is to board the ship under a different name, your papers all inside this envelope, and then silently kill Sakamoto, so that when his dead body has been found in Korea, he will be the star of the news and his alliances in Italy will know better not to underestimate our boss."

"Shishio-sama trusts you enough to leave you without his lackeys. It will only be me and Soujiro. I will assist you inside the ship to make sure that your mission goes well and then we will escape together by stealing one of the emergency boats from the ship, and from there, we will transfer to the small yacht left idle somewhere opposite the direction of the ship. It is the one that I'll be using when I come to your aid, which means you'll be boarding the ship alone, and which also means that we'll have to paddle our way on the dark sea, in the middle of the night, until we reach the yacht that I have left behind."

"Once we reach the shore, we are to stay in the shadows until Soujiro arrives with our ride."

Kamatari stole another glance at Isa. Her head was bowed down, but he knew the girl was listening attentively. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was always like this when she's accepting missions.

"One more thing, Shinomori." His use of Isa's surname made the girl turn her head up. "I know your missions for the past three years have been way too easy for someone with your skills. I would like you to know that this will be your last mission in Tokyo. Shishio-sama is aware you're returning after graduation and he is already doing the arrangements for his move to our base in Kyoto. Your last mission will be held there and Shishio-sama will move to personally keep his hands on your progress. Should you feel the need for more details, I suggest you go to our headquarters and talk to Shishio-sama face-to-face."

Kamatari walked away without looking back. He neither saw the widening of Isa's eyes nor the complete horror that is written all over her face. The two, however, were thinking of the same thing...

_She's bringing the mess in Kyoto.  
I'm bringing the mess in Kyoto!_

Something big is happening.

* * *

I hope my chapters have been enjoyed despite the absence of romance. ^^ To make up for the long wait, I promise THE REWARD coming soon. *cough Aoshi cough*

Don't forget to review! Thank you!


	6. 05 Sexuality can be Confusing

11.30.10

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 5 ~**  
Sexuality can be Confusing

**Afternoon  
Aboard the passenger ship to South Korea**

Isa looked at her dress again. She has never worn so much color in her entire life! Sure, she is a bubbly person at times, but she's not that bubbly when it comes to clothing. She just prefers nice clothes where the color doesn't scream the word ATTENTION. Kamatari ordered her to "blend in", and looking at her surroundings again, it seems she has succeeded. Maybe her outfit was not really an attention-grabber at all.

She is wearing an A-line green skirt and a bright yellow tank top underneath her bright pink bolero which is securely tied in front. _How cool is that?_, she thought bitterly. Oh, and let's not forget about her yellow shoes. _No offense to the Koreans, but I just imitated the leading woman in Full House!_ (Poor her that is the only Korean drama she has seen!) _I have no idea how to blend in with them, but now that I see them, it has come to my attention that most of the Korean girls from my school really do dress in bright, colourful clothes. It was either this or those loose clothing that I don't know how to describe. Anyway, Kamatari interfered with my outfit so of course it has to be this bright one that I am wearing now._

As she sits herself in one of the lounge chairs located in an area overlooking the sea, she recalls how Kamatari has insisted that she dress and act like a Korean to avoid looking conspicuous. They were informed that majority of the passengers of the ship were of that nationality, so Isa would have to appear like one of them to pull off their plan. Deep inside, she really doesn't see the need to dress that way. After all, didn't Shishio like sending her on missions because she looked like a harmless, petite girl?

A cute Korean guy reading a book two chairs from her has interrupted her thoughts. At first glance, he looked a bit nerdy, but on closer inspection, he actually reminds her of Aoshi. Oh, wait, maybe Aoshi-sama is nerdy, after all. The tall bookworm-type-of-guy, like Aoshi, was busy on his book, not having a care on the world, not even paying attention on the stares that he receive from girls nearby, including Isa herself. She figured that admiring the guy would be a good pastime since the _other_ guy, the one which she was supposed to "meet" later was only busy flirting with women working at the ship's mini bar. Shifting herself in a more comfortable position, she wore her sunnies (to pretend she's not checking the nerdy guy out), put on her earphones, and watched the guy read his book with dreamy eyes. She didn't mind that she was baking herself in sunlight because the cool sea breeze just felt good on her warm skin. With a sigh, she indulged on the "view" and drifted off to dreamland a.k.a. sleep.

* * *

**A few hours later...**

"Damn this girl, she is so relaxed!"

Kamatari kept nudging the girl who is enjoying her sleep. It was already sunset and he could see his silhouette on her sunglasses, along with the reflection of the reddened clouds.

"Mmm Aoshi-samaaa..."

Kamatari covered his face with his palm. "Ow, this is not the time to be dreaming." Knowing that plain nudging won't work on a lovesick girl indulging in dreams (based on his personal experience), an idea came into his twisted mind. Collecting all the manliness that he has left, he leaned towards the girl's ear and tried a very masculine voice that he hasn't done in ages. "Wake up, sweetie pie, Aoshi is here."

With a loud thud, Kamatari fell on the floor and Isa bolted upright, chest heaving up and down, hands clutching the chair, and eyes alert with urgency.

"Hey! I never unleashed my man voice until now and you knock me out? Come back to earth, Isa! I was only waking you up!" Clearly, the transvestite was offended.

"Kami-sama, I thought I was having a nightmare! It's only you, Kamatari."

"...Only you? Do you know how long I've been trying to wake you? I gave you the signal only to realize that you couldn't see me from afar because you're asleep! Okay, so I don't know what that Aoshi's voice sounds like, but I did my best, I deserve some credit!"

"Oh... So that's what you were trying to do? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Silly girl, that was creepy. Hell would freeze over before Aoshi-sama calls anybody a 'sweetie pie'. God, that was a good laugh. I am so awake now."

"Really, you're awake now?" It was an accusation.

"Uh-huh. Thank you."

Seeing that Isa was not yet fully back to her senses, Kamatari only stared at her with a narrowed look. Isa couldn't figure out what's with his face. They started the staring match, Kamatari counting numbers inside his head.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

_Four..._

Then it hit her, "SHIT, I FELL ASLEEP! WHERE'S SAKAMOTO?"

"SSHHHHHHHHH! Quiet down, will you?" _Finally awake_, thought Kamatari.

* * *

It has been hours of searching and things are not going according to plan. First, Isa fell asleep so she wasn't able to follow and discover Sakamoto's room. Second, Kamatari saw the "nerdy Korean", too. It made him distracted and the two ended up eating dinner at the expensive dining part of the ship to indulge on more "sightseeing". Kamatari reasoned that they might as well enjoy a "mouth-watering dinner" while Sakamoto has not been found. Thankfully for them, Sakamoto showed up later that night, flaunted by women on each side. He seemed to be too confident with his escape that he's not masking his presence at all.

* * *

With a final look, Isa left her room. There were no traces left that would reveal her stolen identity's presence on the ship. It was one of the safety precautions that were almost like breathing among the ninjas. With a click, the door was closed and the room was left as if it had never been occupied.

* * *

_Aoi, it's you and me again._

She was talking to her kodachi during standby. Of course, she still had her kunais strapped in hidden parts of her body, but it has always been like this since she started working for Shishio. Her kodachi is always her companion and she speaks to it like the weapon would help her with its comforting presence.

Unfortunately, she had to wait under Sakamoto's bed for a long while because the man had to bring a woman in his room and do a few _things_. She wanted to puke at hearing the middle-aged man's lame attempts at romance, knowing that the woman was only there because of the pay. At some point, she even had to keep herself from sneezing because their actions were causing the bed to shower her with dusts. _Why the hell are there dusts, anyway? I thought this is a first-class room! Dear god, what did I do to deserve this?_ Isa asked herself on and on to distract herself from coming up with a mental image of the scene above. She envied Kamatari for being on the look-out and not hearing the things she hears, but then she knows she's bound to experience these things for working under Shishio. Anyway, Sakamoto's the one going to die soon, not her. She will have a lot of time to erase the memory later. Might as well let him have his fun. _The poor man will die in bliss._

* * *

As soon as the sounds turned into the snoring ones, Isa concentrated on their kis and confirmed that the two were already asleep. She thanked the gods that the woman was unconscious because it will save her from killing her. It won't, however, save her from the shock of seeing a dead man beside her when she wakes up.

She reached through her pocket and materialized a sleeping incense that she has placed on the bedside table. This is to keep the woman from waking up soon. Putting on her cold side that makes her eyes shine a bit lighter than its usual ocean blue color, she hovers over Sakamoto and points her kodachi over his heart. With concentration and skills that she has mastered over the years, she quickly pushes the blade down without making any sound.

The shock and the pain of the wound made Sakamoto open his eyes, but as soon as he saw Isa, his vision started to get blurry and he felt like he was fading to black. Words could no longer come out of his mouth, just the image of his lips slightly parted, as if to ask for some sort of explanation. Tears were forming on his eyes and the blurred image of the woman ordered him, "Close your eyes". The voice was so soothing, it may be an angel only ordering him to fall asleep. He willingly obliged and let darkness take him. The small movement made a lone tear fall from his eye. As soon as it hits the pillow, his ki was already gone as well as his life.

Giving the undisturbed sleeping woman a final glance, Isa pulled out her kodachi's blade from Sakamoto's chest and stared at the pool of blood forming for a few seconds. She then walked out of the room, but unlike last time, she is leaving the room with an obvious sign that she (or someone, to others) has been here to give a message. She grabs a plastic sign and hangs it on the doorknob on her way out. As the door clicked, her hands moved away from it revealing what's written on the plastic: "Do Not Disturb".

* * *

"Let's put a smiiiiiiile on your face!" It was Kamatari's way of greeting.

"You have your scythe with you."

"Yep."

This could only mean one thing. "You've killed people."

"Yep... So-rry! It was necessary, I promise! They were too close from where you're hiding. What took you so long, Isa? Anyway, I had to do something to keep them from finding out about our business. They looked like the ordinary crew, but I think Sakamoto hired them to guard the area. I took the five of them and then hid them in one of those off-limit rooms."

"You could've just knocked them out," Isa said with emphasis "and then hide them in one of those off-limit rooms."

"Oops. WELL, I AM the 'god of DEATH', my beautiful scythe is not made to just knock people unconscious!" Kamatari said with pride on her weapon.

Isa was still on her sour mood. "...I see. Let's go then."

"Mouuuuuu! Brooding again?"

"Come on, Kamatari."

The two stopped when they heard approaching footsteps. Men were panicking and it made the both of them uneasy. Hiding behind a door nearby, the men's conversation was heard in the hallway.

"Five of our men are missing. Should we check Sakamoto-san and inform him?"

"Yikes. That fast." Kamatari was shut up by Isa with a glare.

"We listen first. If that's the rest of them, we attack."

The men continued talking, "There's a 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside Sakamoto-san's room. He's given strict orders to not interrupt his privacy."

"But this might be urgent. The three of you, go to the storage room and check if our men are only hiding in there. The two of us will go talk to Sakamoto-san about this."

"Taihen Isa, that's where I hid the bodies!" Kamatari whispered a bit too loudly.

"Kuso! I guess we'll attack now! You take care of those three, you know the room. I'll handle the other two. We meet again in this hallway after 15 minutes."

"I can handle that in 10."

"Kamatari!"

"Ok, ma'am! I got you!"

* * *

**Storage Room**

"Look! They're all here!" A man shouted as he went ahead inside the dark room.

One of the two guys following behind bent down to check one of the fallen bodies. No pulse. "Shimatta. This one's dead."

A very feminine voice spoke in the darkness. "Tee-hee, actually they're all dead."

All men were startled. The last man, the one standing nearest the entrance, went for the light switch. As soon as the lights went on, the image in front of them gave them horrified gasps. Indeed, the five men were hidden in there. All were dead and covered in dried blood.

"So you see, with the scene before you, you couldn't possibly think that one of them is still alive, do you?"

The three men snapped their heads on the direction of the voice. Atop a huge pile of craters, stands Kamatari, holding his scythe and ready to kill. The sudden illumination of the room was so bright that they couldn't make-out his from, just the shape of a person holding a very long weapon, much like the god of death's 'toy'.

"H-How did you manage to get that weapon inside this ship?" shouted the first man.

"Put it down, that's dangerous!" said the second.

The third one didn't had time to react as Kamatari jumped from the craters and with one quick sway of his scythe, the two men tumbled down and joined the rest of the fallen bodies. Their heads falling on the floor first.

"Tee-hee-hee. That's what he got for stating the obvious."

The last man was rooted to his spot, beads of sweat covering his entire face. "Spare me, SPARE ME!" Being the one standing nearest the door, he quickly left the room and started running in the hallway. He was panicking and he was out of his mind that when he fell on the floor, he thought he's fear was only making him clumsy. It was when he realized the chains that were tugging his feet and body that he knew the god of death has caught up with him.

"Now, now, don't go too far." Kamatari said in his sweetest voice. "We don't want your blood to stain the hallway, you know."

"Let... me... go! You- You! You bitch with an adam's apple!"

That made a huge vein pop out of Kamatari's forehead. "Nani...?" The voice was laced with annoyance, all its sweetness gone and the sound was very deep and masculine. The potential victim had to strain his ears to hear it. Then all of a sudden he was moving quickly that he couldn't make out his surroundings. With a strong tug, the man was back inside the room in a second and with a loud swooshing sound, the tip of the scythe's blade had slashed him. There was no time to scream as the clinking sounds of the chains were the only sounds making noises inside the room.

"I'd give you more than enough time to suffer, but I need to get back soon. You should be thankful for your quick death." Slowly, Kamatari pulled out the blade along with the chains. It slithered away from the dead body and he dried off the blood on another body's clothing... The one with the less bloodstains.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in Sakamoto Shibumi's Room**

Two worried men kept on banging Sakamoto's wall. When none of them received an answer, they forced the door open and they were welcomed by the sight of a girl looking straight at them, covering their view of Sakamoto's bed. It was not soon after that the girl attacked the guy on the right. The one on the left was shocked, and being untrained bodyguards, as Isa could tell, the guy went in shock, making him pause in his tracks and giving Isa the opportunity to kick him while drawing her kodachi out of the other guy's body. With swift moves brought by her kempo training, Isa spun her way back to the guy. The moment she has completed 180 degrees, the guy has already recovered her footing. Isa, however, was conveniently faster, so she stabbed the guy hard, making him fall back on the ground.

There was no expression on Isa's face, like how she always was during battles. If there's one thing that she's thankful for, it's that her missions have taught her well how to hide her inner conflicts. _Sorry, man. You're obviously just forced into this kind of work. You have my apologies._ Isa said to herself while looking at the fallen bodies. Two more innocent beings have been added to her list of victims. It was unavoidable, but it doesn't mean that she cannot respect them after their deaths. She dragged the bodies and sat them on the small sofa on the far side of the room. Then for the second time that night, she left the room with no sounds but a door click.

* * *

True to Kamatari's word, he was back to the appointed hallway after 10 minutes. Isa was already there, too, and the two quickly made their way out of the ship. The plan was to steal one of those emergency boats and paddle their way to Kamatari's yackt, but to their dismay, there was another crew member guarding the area. This time, the man didn't looked aware of what has happened, so they decided to just stood there, near the boats attached on the sides of the ship, and act like friends having a night walk. They went on with their forced conversation until the two ran out of things to say. Both knew that they are wasting time watching this single man.

In a very uneasy and exaggerated voice, Kamatari finally brought their concentration back to business. "My, my, isn't this taking so long?"

"Why you silly," Isa went with it and tried to keep it a part of the conversation. "You must be talking about the cool air. Of course it's taking soooo long. It won't go away. The night is always cooler in the sea."

"Well... I didn't think of that. I... don't know what to say. Ohohoho!"

That reminded Isa of someone she knew. There was a real smile on her face when she casually looked at the crew member standing near them only to notice that he wasn't there anymore. "Quick, he's gone!"

As silently as possible, the two hurriedly set a boat down using the ropes. Luckily for Kamatari, she has managed to place her scythe there undetected. If only the crew member didn't show up soon, they would've been in the shadows by now.

But it seems that the series of unexpected events for them has not yet ended. As they were lowering themselves on the sea, away from anybody's view, they saw the crew member standing from where they have been seconds ago. He didn't seem to notice yet that one of the boats was missing, but from their worm's-eye-view, they could tell that the guy was uneasy and observing the sea. It won't be soon before he looks down and notice that two persons are quietly escaping the ship.

"This is bad... you know how to swim, do you?" Kamatari started.

"Yes, I do, but how did you get here anyway?" Isa whispered back.

"I dragged myself using a rope. So yes, I wet myself when I got here. I was drying myself inside one of the rooms while you were in dreamland."

"That's so... adventurous."

"Oh shut up, we need to get out of here SOON. We can't have patience with this boat anymore. It's a give-away sign for us escapees. Besides, adjusting these ropes are taking too much time. He'll see us before we manage to get this down."

"I know that. I'm just having this feeling that he'll..." Isa froze when her eyes met the crew's. She forced the continuation of her sentence in a whisper. "...see us, anyway."

"Isa, jump! I'll tie my scythe with this lifesaver here. Hopefully, they won't dare notice a single lifesaver floating away. As for us, we hide in the water."

Kamatari talked on and on, planning their escape. Both were already shivering with the cold night air. Isa was forcing herself to stay calm and think it through, like a ninja. All this time the man looking down at them was shouting, "Hey, you! Why do you need to go down there in the middle of the night? There are strong waves down there, come back here and explain yourselves!"

Something in Isa snapped, "Kamatari, we can't go with your plan. At least, not right away!"

"WHAT? We're not going back, woman!"

"No, I didn't mean that. He'll probably call some back up soon and we ninjas don't leave traces, even if it's just inside a person's eyes. He will talk about us and describe us and I can't risk revealing what I've done to the Oniwabanshu!" She was talking at maximum speed but Kamatari has heard it all.

"What do you suggest we do then?"

Isa was cursing under her breath. "Fuck, I don't wanna do this" _But this is better than leaving the witness who saw us._

"YOUR RIGHT-HAND GLOVE, GIVE IT TO ME!"

Kamatari blinked, _my glove? Okay..._ He hesitated for a moment but then he followed her knowing it's the ninja talking.

He quickly removed his glove and in a blink of an eye, Isa was already wearing it on her right hand. She raised her skirt and grabbed a kunai strapped to her thigh.

"What are you doing down there? I'm gonna call back-up now!" The man was now throwing them some threatening words.

Isa snapped her up. The man was wondering why the girl was only staring at him. Little did he know, Isa was already calculating how to throw her kunai. He saw her mouth the word "sorry" and it was quickly followed by a flying kunai that went straight to his neck, dropping him dead.

"Woo-hooo! You're the man, Isa!"

"Listen, Kam, we don't have time to hide his body" Kamatari was quickly nodding like an attentive kid. "We can't take this boat anymore because it's too obvious. What I'm thinking is that we can leave this hanging here to give them the impression that we went back to the ship to pretend we're one of the passengers. We swim our way back to your yackt."

"Oh, and that heavy scythe of yours is your responsibility. I have no idea how you're going to carry that thing."

"Leave it to me, ma'am!" Kamatari shouted with cheerfulness in his voice.

Isa grabbed one lifesaver to prepare herself for the loooong time that they are going to swim their way in the dark sea. Kamatari grabbed two, one for him and one for his scythe... although he had to hold the chains while swimming because it was too heavy for the floating device.

When they were finally in the cold waters, both let out a relieved sigh. Isa was tired of the tension so she made herself comfortable and tried to act like her normal self, "Aaaaaah, we screwed up a lot of times, didn't we?"

"I couldn't agree more. But you did great in the end. That was cool, you know." Kamatari said with a grin that Isa couldn't return. "Anyway, my detector says the yackt is straight this way. Let's brace ourselves for the long swim. Kami, I hope there are no sharks in this area."

Isa sighed again before she began following Kamatari's lead. Then she remembered one of the contents of her pocket... the ipod. "Bye-bye mp3. I knew I shouldn't have brought you."

* * *

It was nearing twilight when the two reached the shore. The sky was still dark but with hints of gray. They were so tired that they slept the rest of the night in the yackt, in the middle of the sea.

When Kamatari was anchoring the yackt, Isa was stretching and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. None of them were talking to each other, they were too tired and just wanted to resign to their beds and/or have a good shower.

"I can't wait for my beauty rest." Kamatari murmurs to himself.

The female ninja's good hearing caught his words along with a few sounds and stopped her yawning. She looked at him seriously. "I don't think that's allowed yet."

It was then that Kamatari heard what Isa was talking about. Footsteps were walking towards their direction and it didn't sound like Soujiro's footsteps at all.

"How long will it take before Soujiro gets here?" The ninja inquired.

"That I don't know. He's supposed to be waiting here, but he probably took off somewhere. I guess he figured out that we're taking longer than expected and we won't be back for the night."

"..." It was silence on both the occupants of the yackt.

Suddenly a very odd but helpful idea popped inside their heads.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" voiced Kamatari.

"Kami-sama, help me, I think I am." Isa said with her eyes larger than normal.

"Don't get so full of yourself! I AM GAY!"

"Ka-ma-ta-riiiii, we don't have time to argue about your sexuality! Shinomori Isa will not get caught!"

"Ughhhh, so is the god of death!"

Their argument stopped when the men's flashlight hit them like a spotlight. It was good that the two were both hopeless romantics because their train of thoughts were on the same wavelength.

"Yoohoooo!" One of the men made a whistling sound. It wasn't long after that the rest of them followed him with their cheering.

As much as the two detested, the 'position' they were in was the perfect way to avoid suspicion. By now the news has probably reached Japan and South Korea and they couldn't risk being the number one suspects.

The two entangled themselves in what men would call a very heated lesbian kiss. Of course, none of those men knew that the one with the short wavy hair wasn't really a woman.

"Mmm... I think we were caught in our early morning rendezvous." Isa said while giving off a sly smile. She felt her cheeks flushing, which is disturbingly helpful for their situation, although she believed any girl would flush if they were suddenly made to kiss a downright gay. Kamatari can be attractive, but Isa couldn't point out if it's the beauty of a male or a female. Kissing him on impulse was just wrong and... there's no other word, unforgettable. She'll be damned if this idea doesn't work.

Kamatari pretended to rub himself to Isa some more before taking a step back and acting like he just noticed the audience. "...I think you're right."

"Ladies..." One of the men gruffly said while spreading his hands and taking a step towards them. "I'm sorry for interrupting your _good time_ (he was wriggling his eyebrows on this part), but we were just patrolling the area. We are paid to guard these parked yackts and maintain this place. Seeing that you are, um, busy, it might be best for us to leave and proceed to the other docks."

"We are sorry, we didn't mean to interfere with your work. To tell you the truth, we've been having the time of our life here the whole night. This might be a sign that we've had enough." Kamatari answered with a wink.

"Oooooooh..." The men said in unison. Nobody wants to know what they're thinking now.

"Kyaaaah, will you stop it!" Isa said in a small annoying voice. "You're embarrassing me! What if they tell our parents? They own the yackt."

"Ah, you can count on us, miss." The man spoke again. "We promise to keep your little secret." He gave the wink back to Kamatari. "Now if you'll excuse us..." He trailed off and the men started walking away from them. The flashlights were long turned off and they were suddenly talkative with their backs on the couple. Lines like "that was selfish, man, you didn't even gave us a chance to talk to the hot babe" can be heard.

The two collected themselves until they were out of hearing distance...

"What the hell was that, Shinomori, you squeezed my boobs!"

"Honjo, you have no boobs."

"Yes, I do! They're just... flat. God, why do you have to feel me up? I still feel like I'm going to puke!"

"Well, you were having so much fun abusing my blush, mister!" _I should be the one to puke, I was never sexually confused. Not that I am now... Aaa Aoshi-sama! What am I thinking?_

"Why were you blushing, anyway? You do know I'm gay! And I'm not mister, honey!"

"I do know that! Do you want another kiss, baby?"

"Kami... the kiss, don't you dare mention it! I kissed a girl... SHISHIO-SAMA WON'T LIKE IT. HE'S GONNA QUESTION MY LOYALTY! Waaaaaah!"

"You bet I won't mention it. This... this... this, from now on, is taboo, alright?"

"Hn! Well, it's good were on the same page."

"...and I hate to break it to you, but Shishio doesn't care about _this_."

"I HATE YOU SHINOMORI ISA!"

"Hahahahahahahaha" There was the carefree laughter of Soujiro.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?" The two said in unison.

"Long enough to witness the blossoming of a new romance." Soujiro made the pair's faces tomato red. His smile was present as always, but the two have never found it to be as annoying as it is now.

"And you didn't even spare us the acting?" Kamatari chocked the words out.

"Yeah, mean Soujiro. Meanie!" backed up Isa.

"Hmmmm... Now why didn't I think of that?" Soujiro answered them while looking at the skies and rubbing his chin. Then, as if a realization hit him, he suddenly smiled broader than usual and spoke in his most cheerful voice, "now if you whiners are done, our transpo is this way, follow me." *smile*

The two couldn't believe Soujiro. They looked at each other and with slumped shoulders, they dragged themselves away from the yackt and towards the smiling boy who couldn't stop his eyes from shining at the recent _exhibit_.

They wouldn't be surprised if, again, they were thinking of the same thing...

_Fuck my life._

* * *

Unknown to them, more men were watching them from the shadows. Men who heard everything and understood what they've been doing.

"Boss man is not going to like this."

* * *

Author's Notes:

First of all, I hope nobody got offended with my stereotyping Koreans to colourful outfits. I just needed a bit of humor in there and I find it fitting. I'm actually envious that they can carry themselves well even when wearing bright colors, but then I was never one for wearing something too colourful, so... nevermind.

The whole chapter was actually inspired by the TV Series, Dexter. There was one episode in there when Dexter pretended to go sailing on his small boat (yackt?) and then he slipped on a ship to kill his victim. After that, he returned to his boat and went back to his life like he didn't do another crime. ^^

Also, I don't think I'm good at fighting scenes so I gave the extras quick deaths. I hope it's not too gory or anything.

Lastly, Dexter is not mine as well as Rurouni Kenshin.


	7. 06 The Okashira and the Oyabun

12.05.10

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 6 ~**  
The Okashira and the Oyabun

**Kyoto Roads**

Inside a sleek car, a man in a black business suit is driving his way home. His eyes are covered with Ray Ban sunglasses and his mouth is fixed in a thin line, one who doesn't know him wouldn't have an idea on what he is thinking. His emotionless face and formal attire gives off an aura that calls for fear and authority.

Even so, the woman sitting on the passenger seat beside him doesn't seem to mind one bit. Both were comfortable with each other like they have known each other for the longest of time, none of the two attempting to break the silence.

The woman staring at the window had a thoughtful look on her face. She knew better than to disturb the man beside her when he is too occupied with his thoughts. She, too, is wearing formal attire and it is only fair to say that she is equally attractive as the man beside her. Although enough familiarity had given her an idea on what the man was thinking, she'd been tired as well and she figured that it'd be better to leave each other on their own thoughts.

It was early morning and the two were looking forward to return home as they have been away for a few days for some business matters. The drive was spent in silence without much change appearing on their faces except for the occasional sunrays entering the car and reflecting on the man's shades.

When the car pulled to a stop in front of a huge house, the woman gave a joyous sigh and the man's posture noticeably looked more relaxed. Both opened their doors at the same time and went on their way, not bothering to park the car inside the garage first.

The woman who happened to have long black hair, which curtained her very slim but curvaceous body, was walking ahead that she didn't notice when the man paused on his tracks. He stopped for a moment to tilt his head and look at the sun, revealing the intensity of his eyes that can be seen through the black shades. His eyes seem to sparkle, even with the covering, and as he removed the sunglasses to cherish the blinding morning light, it indeed revealed two ice-looking orbs that sparkled in the sunlight. His ice blue eyes was a complete opposite of the warm, yellow light that has been basking his surroundings to complete the morning atmosphere.

"Okashira, we should go inside."

The woman who finally noticed decided to wait. The gesture was not necessary, but it was her way of showing respect to the man that have always lead them to an honourable life. With a last look at the morning sun that has reminded him of a certain cheery girl, the man put his sunglasses inside his jacket pocket and resumed walking towards the front door, the woman slightly slowing her footsteps to give the lead to her okashira.

* * *

**Living Room, Shinomori (Oniwabanshu) Residence  
Kyoto**

"Usou, that Sakamoto tried to escape!" A muscled man with scars named Shikijo shouted disbelievingly at the morning news.

"Kekekekeke, it doesn't take a genius to know it was Shishio who put him on the hitlist." The short insect-looking man, Beshimi, commented.

"Keh, this news flash lacks information! It would've been good if we were in Tokyo to spy on it firsthand." Shikijo answered too quickly.

"You're so impatient, my big friend. It just happened this morning, give the reporters some time to wait for the investigation reports!" Beshimi stated, a-matter-of-factly.

"True, but a much missed brat is in Tokyo now. I'm sure she's as interested in this news as you guys." Hannya, the calm man with the strange mask spoke for the first time.

The three odd-looking men were too engrossed on the big news coming from the huge flat-screen TV that they didn't notice the two figures approaching them from the hallway.

"Let's call Isa-chan and ask her to take a quick round at the said port. What do you think? Kekeke, a few more details won't hurt." Beshimi said in between chuckles.

Hearing that the conversation was going towards another direction, one of the two figures – the woman with long hair – decided it was time to announce their presence. "Eheeeemmmmmm."

It was then that they noticed the newly arrived pair. "AUGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! OKASHIRA!" Shikijo and Beshimi reacted at the same time. It was only Hannya who remained calm but is now smiling beneath his mask.

"...and you call yourselves ninjas." Okon had to say that.

The okashira opened his mouth to speak and the men were suddenly sitting straight on the living room sofas. "Beshimi, you know Isa is busy with her graduation coming near. She is living the life of a university student in Tokyo and we are not to bother her because of curiosity."

"HA-HAI! Forgive me, okashira!"

"And Shikijo, I know what you're thinking," this gave Shikijo a nervous laugh that sounded more like the rumbling of the Earth's crust. "This may be interesting news to us, but it is still none of our business. We shall not put our noses on this case unless we are hired by the government to look onto it."

"My thoughts exactly, hahahaha! Welcome back, Aoshi-sama, Okon."

While standing behind the okashira, the long-haired woman named Oumime, or simply known as Okon, gave Shikijo a menacing look that says "yeah right".

Then with a voice that doesn't really show any enthusiasm, the okashira answered, "Thank you. I am glad to be back home." Shikijo and Beshimi released the breaths that they didn't realize they were holding.

"Ano... Minna," A new voice spoke and everyone's attention was now onto a man bigger than a sumo wrestler standing by the door leading to the dining area. "...oh hi, okashira. Well, minna-san," Everyone was anticipating his next words when what they heard instead was a loud burping sound coming from the guilty announcer.

Everyone except one (guess who) sweatdropped.

"Ehehe. Breakfast is ready." Yet nobody was moving.

It was the demon mask who broke the silence, "You mean breakfast is already in your 'fire belly'."

* * *

**Garden, House of Kashiwazaki Family  
Kyoto**

An old man wearing traditional Japanese clothing sighed at nothingness. He was facing a fairly large koi pond with his back on his henchmen kneeling on the soft grass.

"So he's using her. Our suspicions for the past three years have finally been proven correct."

"Yes boss. It was hard monitoring the Juppongatana Family's actions undetected, but luck has finally come to our side. We saw with our own eyes that the young Oniwaban is involved with Shishio's men."

Another sigh. "I wouldn't call that 'luck'." The Yakuza boss said, more to himself, while thinking of the said girl.

"We have also been informed that the majority of them would be coming to Kyoto... along with the girl who's graduating in a couple of weeks."

"Years ago, I wouldn't have thought that Makoto would go this far." The boss switched to using Shishio's first name. "She must be having a hard time. Makoto's madness must be stopped, he is no longer following the ways and the philosophies of the yakuzas. He will cause danger to all of us, especially to the girl."

"We couldn't agree more... kumicho."

"You've come all the way from Tokyo... You may now get some rest. This old man is too tired to enjoy the beautiful morning."

"Hai." The men said in unison.

With solitude now in his hands, the old man sat on a wide rock and looked down at the fishes swimming in his good old pond. He saw his reflection on the water. He was the image of a tired old man begging for peace. "At times like this, even my pink bow can't lift my spirits."

* * *

**Room 412  
Tokyo**

A few days have passed and Isa's mission is still the talk of Japan/the whole world. Whether it is on the radio, television, internet, or inside her classroom, everyone's been talking about it. The media was impressed with the 'clean act' and students of all ages were talking about it as if it was the latest movie. Although she was glad that no witnesses were found (meaning her little 'stunt' with Kamatari worked and none of the men they saw mentioned their presence to the police), she couldn't bare all the assumptions people were making, so she decided to call it a day off.

She will be graduating in less than a month's time. Everything is set and everyone is looking forward for the big day. Even her family in Kyoto is sending her e-mails. Hyottoko is talking his way to allow them to come to her graduation and indulge in a big feast afterwards. As much as she likes the idea, she settled with replies like "thank you" and "sorry" explaining that she'd be busy with her friends and that it'd be better if they can have the feast in Kyoto, where everyone will be present. This is actually true, as she will be attending a graduation party. The whole Oniwabanshu let it drop and figured that they can wait for the reunion when she returns.

Snuggling closer to the dent that she has created in her pillow, she hugged her extra pillow tightly in her front, and rested in a fetus position. The sun was already up and yet she managed to fall asleep again, thinking that a few more hours in bed would be bliss.

She had no idea that one Oniwaban is already planning on disturbing her peaceful slumber, one named Shinomori Aoshi.

* * *

**The Okashira's Office, Shinomori Residence  
Kyoto**

Aoshi couldn't point out why the Sakamoto incident was troubling him so much. True, he told his comrades to ignore the intriguing news, but there was just this fact that the crime happened in Tokyo that's making him worried about something or someone else. Maybe it's the Okashira's instincts, maybe it's just his excuse to call, and not e-mail, that person he missed. He couldn't tell. The line between the two was just too blurry and the Okashira hates it when things are unclear. He would have to do something about this uncomfortable feeling. Knowing that he'll be contradicting his earlier decisions, he decided that this assignment should be given to the perfect person.

"Hannya."

The door to his home office opened and the man whose name he just spoke is now standing in front of his desk.

"Okashira, your tone of voice tells me you mean business... but with a hint of worry, I see."

"You know me well and I trust that calling you means that you will not let a word from this office come out."

Hannya didn't have a say to that. He knew his friend and leader's patience, but he also knew that his self-control is a little short when it comes to a young woman. It won't be long before he gives in and sometimes, he just loves to keep his mouth shut and wait for it.

Hearing a soft sigh that is rarely heard from the Okashira's only adds to the confirmation of Hannya's 'theory'. He smiled fully and although Aoshi can't see behind his mask, his resigned stare tells him that he knows so.

"This is not purely business, Hannya. To make things clear, I am giving this to you as an assignment for Oniwabanshu, but we do not know for sure if this should involve us or not. With that smug expression that I can already pick up from your ki, I'm sure you already know... I am worried about her."

"You do not have to enumerate excuses, Okashira. That is very uncharacteristic of you." Hannya said with a grin. "All you have to do is give me the orders."

"Very well. The Sakamoto incident has happened in Tokyo and we don't have to see Isa to know that her curiosity can be as troublesome as Beshimi's or Shikojo's. I just want to make sure that she's keeping herself out of trouble. She's an efficient spy, but I don't want her to playfully prove it to us again by getting herself involved in a case such as this. ...Stop smiling." Hannya didn't even bother to hide his laugh which Aoshi ignored. "So, I am thinking of sending you to Tokyo, but something tells me that we should also look upon this case. I know this is against my earlier word with Beshimi and Shikijo, but the fact that the issue is still unsolved shows that the one responsible for the crime is not an ordinary pet of Shishio's."

"Usually, after hiring guns, Shishio dispose them as well. For something this big, it is not in his character to keep the hired gun alive and subject to get caught by the police. It is like you have pointed out, Aoshi-sama. It is rather suspicious that there are no dead bodies of hired guns found after the incident."

"Aa."

"What are your orders then? If I'm going to Tokyo, I might need to bring someone with me."

"No need for that. For now, I want you to hack the police files in Tokyo and South Korea, as well as the investigation team handling the case. We have to make sure of the details first." Then with a smirk, Aoshi continued, "There is still the possibility that we're just as nosy as Shikijo."

Hannya allowed himself a low chuckle. The idea of Shikijo rubbing off on their okashira was just priceless. Too bad he can't retell this conversation to their comrades. _I know what he needs, he needs to see her. Soon._ "Is that all, Aoshi-sama?"

"Aa."

"I'll be leaving then. Expect my report tomorrow morning."

After bowing, Hannya walked to the door. He left the okashira to his office, but not before pausing with his hand on the door knob and saying, "Do not hesitate to call her, Aoshi-sama. It is not only you who'll be pleased."

Aoshi was not surprised. Yes, he misses her dearly. It's been more than five years since she went to college and four years since she stopped going to Kyoto during holidays. He never voiced it out loud, but he _is_ dying to see how much his little girl has grown. _Funny how I still call her my little girl. She is a young woman now. It is wrong of me to be possessive._ Indeed, e-mailed pictures and phone calls weren't enough to satisfy his longing, but at the moment, his fingers resting on his desk won't stop twitching, he figured another phone call won't hurt.

He grabbed the cordless phone and dialled a cellphone number that he knew by heart.

* * *

**On the phone**

_Who dared disturb my beauty rest?_ "Isa desu."

_What took her so long?_ "You sound sleepy."

"Aoshi-sama! Ahehehehe, I guess I am. Nevermind that. I'm glad you called. I miss you soooo much!"

"Aa."

"So did you miss me, too? When was the last time we talked to the phone?"

_You have no idea._ "We talked a few months ago, when you thanked me for the gift."

"Oh right, right. I was having fun with your gift. I'll take more pictures and send it to you. It'll be like you're here! Err, wait... Aoshi-sama! Can't you say you miss me, too? Come on, I know you do! You were distracting me, you know!"

"You were the one who brought up the topic."

"Aaaaah Aoshi-sama, cut it out, will you? Just say I-miss-you! It's not that long, it won't break your rule of few-words-reply!"

Aoshi just had to let out a secret smile. "Listen, is everything going well?"

_UGH._ "Haiiiiiiiii."

"Do you want me to go there for your graduation?"

"NO!"

"That was quick."

"I-I mean, my close friends are dying to meet you, but I know you're not fond of social gatherings and and we're going to have a party after. I'm going to be busy finalizing some things... Tokyo's too far... um, um..." _I can't believe I just said no to something I want._

_She's definitely hiding something._ "It's not that far... and I can tolerate an event or two."

_Damn you, Aoshi-sama this is not the time to be sweet. _"You don't have to be nice, Aoshi-sama. I know you're busy and I've been spoiled enough. The camera, remember? So yeah, really, there's no need."

"If you say so."

"Ano ne, Aoshi-sama, is it ok to have this conversation for so long? I mean, you could've called my apartment's landline number instead of my cellphone."

"You're at home."

"Shit, why did I say that?" _I just told him I skipped class!_ "Ehehehehe. Felt like sleeping today."

"You know money is not an issue."

"Hehehe."

"Isa, this is your last subject, you know I have high expectations..."

_He's starting a lecture, better cut him off!_ "And I'm living up to it! I swear, when I go home you'll be proud of me!"

"I already am."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Isa?"

"N-nothing! It's just that, I miss you Aoshi-sama."

_Why does she sound like she's going to cry?_ "I did not raise you to be a crybaby."

"Hey! Shinomori Isa does not cry!" _You're as strict as ever, but you don't know how much you're making me happy..._

"Call me when you're going back. Doesn't matter what time. I'll pick you up personally."

"HONTOU? Arigatooooou!"

"Hontou ni."

Aoshi had to keep the phone away from his ear because of Isa's loud squealing.

"...Isa? Are you there now?"

"Hai!"

"I'm hanging up now... I do miss you."

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep...

It seemed like forever that Isa was clutching the phone to her heart and staring in space. Then without a warning, she let out another squeal that alarmed the whole building.

"AOSHI-SAMA SAID HE MISSED ME!"

All the building's occupants went outside their doors and looked at each other with animated sweatdrops on their foreheads.

"Who's Aoshi-sama?"

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, the said Aoshi-sama is running his hand through his hair and wondering why his ward sounded like she's avoiding something. _I hope she's just nervous with her graduation. That girl really worries me sometimes._

* * *

**The following day**  
**Shinomori Residence  
Kyoto**

"Okashira, I have some information that will surely interest you."

"Go on."

"Contrary to the news reports, there was evidence found regarding the Sakamoto incident. Aside from Sakamoto Shibumi, a number of men were found dead. All of those, except one, were all working under Sakamoto. The weapon or weapons which caused their death were all long blades, very typical for Shishio's men..."

"And what about the 'exception'?"

"The last man, however, was killed in a different way. It seems that he was only silenced because he has seen the criminal during his escape. The crew member's body was found near the emergency boats and the weapon that killed him was expertly embedded on his throat. The investigation team was worried about giving this info to the public because they couldn't even trace where the weapon was bought. They fear that the case has already received enough meddling from the media. Hence the evidence was kept top-secret. If the hired gun was really a man working for Shishio's, Shishio himself must've taken great measures to keep his identity safe."

"Interesting. Shishio sent one of his special men to kill Sakamoto."

"That's not the alarming part yet, Aoshi-sama."

"Then what is?"

"The weapon... Aoshi-sama, the hired gun used a kunai to kill the innocent crew member."

"...nani?"

"As of the moment, we are not aware of any ninjas or kunai experts from Juppongatana. Could they have possibly made a new alliance? What are your plans now, Aoshi-sama?"

"..."

"Okashira?"

"I'm going to Tokyo."

* * *

ano ne - an expression when someone is stalling before saying something  
arigatou = thank you  
hontou = really  
kumicho = yakuza leader  
kunai = throwing knives  
minna = everyone  
okashira = commander  
oyabun = family boss  
usou = no way (uso means 'lie')


	8. 07 Laundry Man

01.16.11

I made a mistake in my previous chapter. I already changed it, but just to be clear: It's been five years since Isa went to college and four years since she started working for Shishio and stopped visiting Kyoto during holidays. I don't want to go into details on what kind of excuses she gave Aoshi as I know it's just a minor part of her introduction.

My reason why I had to delay her is because I don't think Aoshi will miss her enough, being the serious man that he is, if they've only been apart for a short time and if they kept on seeing each other during her college sembreaks. That would also make it hard to identify the changes that have occurred between them. Kindly drop a review if you think I'm over explaining things. (^ ^)

I should also point out that I'm making their ages consistent in the manga (as far as my knowledge of it is concerned). So if we fast-forward it for a few years, that makes Aoshi 31 at the start of this fic, Kaoru 22, and Yahiko 15. I've read that most people in Japan and in the US start college at 18, but since I'm not all that familiar with the circumstances there, I decided to base the university stuff on my own, which is not an uncommon thing here in the Philippines. I actually started college when I was 16. (nn)

That should be all for now. I hope you enjoy reading!

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 7 ~****  
Laundry Man  
**

It has been exactly 1 hour and 3 minutes since Aoshi has entered Isa's one-room flat. Aside from an unpleasant, dead giveaway, that is a one-thirds full pack of cigarettes, there was really nothing out of the ordinary. At least for Isa. Her flat is a perfect example of a college girl's residence... and a neat one at that. He's impressed she managed to keep her place clean without his orders. And being the stoic man that he is, he would observe her behavior first before voicing out anything about the discovered death sticks. One thing is for sure though, he would make sure that his 'lecture' would get in her head once he get the opportunity.

So it has been 6 minutes since his mind wandered off. That's a total of 1 hour and 9 minutes since he arrived in Isa's flat and he still can't tune out her lingering scent from his senses.

Aoshi didn't expect to feel this way, but once he started seeing familiar things that belongs to Isa and noticing that she keeps her stock of tea the way he likes it, not to mention her bedroom still smells like the one she has in Kyoto, he couldn't help but feel soft tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He never knew he missed her this much. Five years of college were no big deal for his 'only girl', but it was also long enough to make her grew out of being his girl. For a moment, he wondered if he's still allowed to call her that.

To avoid losing to his sentimental side which nobody knew about, he did the only thing he's been thinking since he arrived here. He lied down on her bed, placed his head on her pillows, closed his eyes, and listened to the comfortable silence while absorbing everything that is hers. This made him feel that the little girl he raised is with him again.

It only took a few minutes for this to make him fall into a light, blissful slumber.

* * *

A calling card was tossed in the trashcan outside an arcade store.

"Goodbye Kazuhiro-san. Nice to know you." _...but I won't be meeting you._

Isa quickened her pace to arrive in her destination as soon as possible. She had just submitted her final paper and she was dismissed early in class. There was really nothing much left to do, save for the few graduation preparations. After all, she'd be graduating in three weeks! Today is officially her last day to attend class and while other students might be busy and cramming finals at this point, she would definitely be not. She'd been doing well with her last and only subject and she'd always have enough time to prepare for graduation. She might as well say that she's on standby until the actual event.

She had used her unexpected free time to attend a certain meeting and now that she's all free, she's more than excited to barge in the Kamiya dojo and assist her friend as usual. She often goes there during her free time that she feels like she's a part-time instructor there herself, save for when Kaoru's scolding her that she shouldn't be teaching kecho giri to students learning to use bokken.

As she reached the traditional-looking house gate, she quickly ran after the dojo, only to find her friend gone and the students sparring on their own. After greeting some familiar faces, she quickly excused herself and turned on a corner to walk towards the main house. She would have to pass by the backyard as it is the nearest entrance to the house and probably where she would bump into Kaoru.

Lost in her own thoughts, she did bump into someone... Someone that is neither Kaoru nor Yahiko, that is.

"Oro?"

"Orororororororororooo?" Isa unwittingly adapts the expression and stretches it exaggeratedly while throwing her hands away on one side of her body.

"Ororo? It's Misao-dono." The oro-talker looked over his shoulder as he wipes his forehead with his hand while trying to keep some bubbles away from his red hair.

"Himura! Why the hell are you doing laundry?"

"Ah, better do them now or else they will pile up de gozaru yo." This Himura Kenshin said in a maddeningly polite voice.

"You're not a domestic helper, you're one of Kaoru's adult students here, let me remind you."

"Ah, but Kaoru-dono has to do them today and she's seems to be quite busy so I volunteered."

"...and you have to do it in a wooden basin in the middle of Kaoru's backyard. Himura, have you heard of washing machines? Last time I heard, Kaoru has one."

Kenshin dries his hands on a towel and scratches his head in embarrassment. "Ah, Misao-dono, but it is a lovely day today to stay cooped up inside the laundry room and do laundry. Why not do it outside where I can feel the wind blowing and hear the birds chirping? Besides, this one believes that doing it by hand is still better de gozaru."

"Ah, ah, aaaaaaah. I. Am. Not. Saying. Anything. Any. Further. You are far too weird to comprehend." Isa did a quick turn and dashes towards the back entrance of Kaoru's house.

"Oro? Did I say something wrong?" A stunned Kenshin sweat dropped... One, two... At the count of three, his eyes widened. "Ah yes, there are no birds chirping at the moment!"

* * *

"That bloody swordsman playing amateur to get-to-know Kaoru is far too weird for my sanity. If I haven't seen my friend so happy around him, I swear I would've spilled his secret and tell her right away that he's no amateur kendo artist. Can't believe Kaoru has never noticed. Geez, that would save him the money for all those unncesseray lessons at the Kamiya dojo. But then, without the teacher-student relationship to be used as an excuse, I doubt those two would ever have the guts to get close to each other. Argh, they frustrate me! Uh, here she is... Kaoru!"

Kaoru looked from her position in front of the fridge. "Misao-chan! Hey, you're here to teach my students some violent kicking again, are you? Stay away from my young teens!" She said mockingly.

"Eeeehh don't be so mean!" Isa replied with fake puppy eyes.

"Come on, let's have our usual girl chat outside and annoy-"

"Kenshin."

"eh?"

"Himura, Kaoru. I already saw him! Man, that guy's doing laundry like we're in old Japan!"

Kaoru sweat dropped, much like how Kenshin did. "Ee...hehehehe."

"So I told him he's far too weird for me to comprehend."

"Hey! Don't you go saying bad things about my students! Kenshin may be older than us, but he's still my student!"

"Ooooh going on defense now, are you?"

"...actually I can't believe you can say something like that to him. You two act like you're so close. I'm kinda... jealous."

"Oh? And 'accidentally' smacking him on the head with anything you can grab giving him spiral-eyes doesn't count as closeness to ya?"

Kaoru blushed at Isa's retort. "I... I mean, you just say what you want to say in front of him. I can't do that. You see him less often than I do and yet I feel like you two share some kind of bonding that we can't have."

"Yeah..." _If you only knew the dummy's excuse of an acting to see you._

"Isa, you don't mean...!"

"Kaoru, that bond you're saying is called f-r-i-e-n-d-s-h-i-p. You two can't have that because you both are obviously inlove with each other. Why can't you guys stop frustrating everyone around you and just get in on?"

"Look who's talking! You weird-girl-inlove-with-a-father-figure! You, you... guardian-complex! I don't really know what to call you!"

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Both women laughed at each other. True, they are both in the same situation – two young women falling for men a decade older than them.

"Joudan, joudan... I was just teasing you, pal." Isa smiled at her friend who now seems to be battling questions within herself...

"Eh... Eto... Really, Isa-chan? You two are not... interested with... each other? How can you be so sure that he... he... likes me?"

Isa let out a frustrated sigh. "Dear, everybody could tell, but trust me, there's nothing between us (_except for that secret_) so you don't have to get paranoid with me. I'm just the straightforward type, I thought you knew that. Maybe that's just why I can act so comfortable in front of him. You, on the other hand, are always blushing (Kaoru blushed another shade deeper)... See, like what you're doing now, and that's what's stopping you to take the next step, to be a little more close to him than how friends usually are."

"But I can't control it. I know you know what I mean!"

"I do. But you can always be brave while blushing. Show him you can be an independent woman who can do the first move. Oh and just so you know, he blushes a little, too." Isa emphasized this by making a tiny gap in between the tips of her thumb and pointing finger. Then she peeks from the hole that she's made and said, "Yeaahhhh, just this tiny bit, though. You know men, they don't wanna be obvious." She ended with a wink.

"Hahahaha. You're such a sweet girl. Thanks for cheering me up, I consider your words a good push."

"No problem, Kaoru."

"Yosh. Time to face my laundry-man!"

"Umm... Kaoru?"

As Kaoru glanced at Isa, she saw her hopping on one of the kitchen stools and decided to hop on the one beside her. She placed a hand above Isa's hands folded on her lap.

"Okay, you've been good in bringing smiles to people as usual. Now tell me what's wrong." Her voice and eyes were gentle. Comforting.

Isa gave out a silly laugh, "Ahahahaha, um, thanks. Well... Contrary to popular belief, I am not here to B.I. (Bad Influence) your students..."

Kaoru gave her a knowing smile.

"So you see, I know this is a forbidden topic and I'm sorry for keeping you away from Himura for a few more minutes, by the way. You know I really enjoy teasing you both..."

"You're rambling, Isa. Come on, say what you want to say. You know I'll listen."

"Hehe, you caught me. The truth is, I went here to give you some _update_... and maybe to ask for some moral support. You see, today after class, I had my last meeting with my psychiatrist. She gave me the business card of one of her colleagues in Kyoto, but I threw it out. I have no plans of continuing my sessions when I go home. And honestly, I know it will be frustrating when I don't have anyone to talk to anymore. So I thought I'd share some things with you now since you'll probably be my last confidant about this. I guess I just want to talk to someone and to leave my discombobulated thoughts here."

"Then you've come to the right person. Tell me, how was your meeting?

Isa giggled. "That is really cliché... I appreciate it."

Kaoru gave her an encouraging smile.

"Well, basically, nothing much has really happened. It was just a wrap up session with the pro. She said that overall, I am still showing signs of my inner battles with myself, like my Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies and my familiar nightmares, but the good thing is that I now have great control over my emotions when I'm awake. She said my soon-to-be-comeback to Kyoto is acting as both a fear and optimism. She has also observed that my confession to you was a good thing, as I look honestly cheerful now and not forced. She even said that whoever these people 'manipulating' me are, I seem to be accepting it well. She said sarcastically that I'm 'doing great' with my job. God, I love her wit, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, her words really fit and she has no idea how close she is. Don't you think she's 'doing great' with her job, too?" Both girls went on another round of giggles.

"I know! But she said one good thing that has struck me."

"Oh? Do tell."

"She said she is quite positive that I need 'Aoshi-san' in my life. She said my respect for him was really genuine and my thoughts about him always show a positive impact on my emotional health."

"Oooooh. Insightful, huh?"

"Tee-hee, and here I am thinking that my thoughts are obsessive! Guardian-complex, remember? Haha!"

"Baka, you know that's not what she means. Anyway, I agree with her. This 'Aoshi-sama' of yours is really a good influence. It's a shame that I never got to meet him. Think about it, Isa, he's been away from you since our second year and yet he still manages to be fulfilling his role as your guardian. He really knows how to take care of you, even if he's doing it unconsciously."

"Hm, I didn't think of that. Guess this 'puppy crush' has brought me some good, after all."

"Caring for someone you haven't seen for four years and not faltering one bit, I don't think that's puppy crush. Surely if it is, college would've made you grow out of it by now."

"Thanks, Kaoru. I'm glad someone believes in my love for him. Now you're the one who made me smile!"

"I'm glad, too. Just be a keeper and make sure that your 'love' is well taken care of. Make sure he knows how you feel. Seriously, Isa, as much as I wish that you won't get caught, I am absolutely sure that Aoshi-san will still remain by your side if he ever finds out. Just the way you talk about him and the way you write about him in your blog, I can really tell that he's a loyal person and that he values his family."

"Awww, don't make me cry now! Thanks again, I will hold on to that thought." Isa jumped from the stool and gave Kaoru a warm fuzzy bear hug.

"Oh, and speaking about blog and writing, I was also encourage to do those kind of things. You see, my psychiatrist read my Life Story paper (Chapter 2) and just like you, she has observed how serious Aoshi-sama is when it comes to valuing his family. She said the way I write about him feels so surreal and so real at the same time. She said I always write him as the overprotective type, but it shows the reader not only my life story, but my consistent principles in life, as well. Like my stories are written rules of survival. I thought she was just flattering me, but you two seems to be on the same page."

"That's a good idea."

"Huh? What is?"

"Well, first she has admired how well you write about Aoshi-san, and then she praises how you write about your life, in general. And like me, we can tell your guardian's good nature just by reading your stories."

"I still don't get where you're going? Should I be an Aoshi-sama advertiser? Hahaha."

"Silly! Not an advertiser, but close... and minus the Aoshi-sama part. Isa, I think you will be a good writer!"

Kaoru's face lit up with a light bulb above her head and then it fell, seeing her friend looking dumbstruck.

"Kaoru… I'm taking up Interior Design. I'm not a journalist."

"I know, I know. But just think about it. I'm not asking to suddenly jump into another field. What I'm saying is that writing seems to be a good outlet when you can't share your thoughts with anybody else, and there are two people now who think you're good at it. Why don't you give it a go? You can start by officially getting yourself a journal or a diary… Something that's more personal than an internet blog or your school papers."

"I… kind of like your idea."

"And I think it will work!"

"But what if somebody reads it? I'll be writing about my secret ninja organization and about an even more serious secret – me working for Shishio. I'll be shoving myself in jail!"

"You think too much, you know. A journal is a journal and I doubt Aoshi-san will touch something like that. Maybe you, Isa, but he sounds far more respectable than that."

"Tee-hee-hee. Well, I like your idea since you spilled it, so I think I might actually do that."

"Good. So when you're back in Kyoto and you feel alone, just think of your journal as my substitute. Always open your heart and write like you're talking to a friend. You'll be surprised at how good you are at it."

"Mm." Isa nods while Kaoru jumps off the stool. "That was really nice of you. You're the best, Kaoru."

Kaoru dismissed Isa with a wave of her hand. "You say that to everyone, but I get the message so you're welcome." Then she grabs Isa's hand. "Come on, I need to attend to my students' practice and I can't leave my laundry-man for too long."

"Oro?" She allowed herself to be dragged by Kaoru.

"Oh shut it, don't you dare imitate him!"

"Hahaha, I don't know, maybe his oros are growing on me."

"No, that can't happen. Kenshin is the only one allowed to be cute like that."

"Ororororooooo~" Isa did it again.

"Oro?" The two reached the back porch to see Kenshin reacting to his own expression.

"Hahahahahaha, nothing to worry about, Himura. I was just testing if oro-ing sounds cool on me!"

"Oro?" Kenshin is confused.

"Isa-chan…" Kaoru tried to interrupt, but,

"Kaoru, I should be on my way so you and Kenshin can play more bubbles…"

"Oro?"

"What… It's not like you're interrupting anything, you know. Hold on, BUBBLES?"

Isa laughed and approached to give Kaoru her goodbye hug. She whispered in her ear to keep it from Kenshin. "Thanks for the boost. I'll be meeting Shishio tonight. `Til next time, Kaoru." She knew Kenshin would notice, but she trusts him to respect her secrecy.

Kaoru's eyes showed fear, but she couldn't say anything as Isa cheerfully waved goodbye and walked herself out. Kenshin noticed her sudden tension and noted that Isa's bouncy attitude meant that she didn't want to talk about what brought this on and give Kaoru the chance to react. Whatever their secrets are, he knew Isa would never do anything to harm her friend. Now the only thing to do now is to take the fear away from her beautiful face. It does not suit her and Kenshin wants to be the one to bring Kaoru to her usual happy but short-tempered self.

"Ano… Kaoru-dono, there's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

"It has been going on in my mind for a while now…"

"Ano… Kaoru… dono?"

"Eh?" Kaoru was now distracted from her thoughts.

"As I was saying, Kaoru-dono, I believe now is the time to be honest with you."

_WHAT. What is Kenshin saying? Why is he saying this now. Is he gonna… gonna… Oh no, do I look good? I'M NOT PREPARED! What brought this on?_

"Kaoru-dono?"

"Ahh yes, yes, I believe now's the time. I am delighted that you decided to speak first."

"Oro." _What's that got to do…_

Kaoru started blushing and tucking invisible stray strands of hair behind her ear. Kenshin was confused even more. She shyly angled her head towards her right side and peeked at Kenshin through her battling eyelashes. _This is it!_ "You were saying… Ken… shin?" She spoke oh-so-slowly.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin stood, straight body. "I've been meaning to tell you that I don't like your brand of laundry soap. This one believes that honesty is important between us because you should know that this kind is not the best when soaking light-colored textiles and it gives off the scent similar to that of old clothes. I know this because I've tried… oro? Are you saying something, Kaoru-dono?"

"Ken… shin…" Her voice was so low, Kenshin had to lean his ears closer. "YOU SAID A TOTALLY DIFFERENT THING! Don't you 'Kaoru-dono' me! KENSHIN NO BAKA!"

And with that, Kenshin flew towards the backyard with a huge lump of flesh shining above his head like an Ambulance light. Come to think of it, he thought he heard an ambulance siren, too… not to mention small birds that seem to be chirping above his head. "I hear birds now… Orororo…"

At least he succeeded in bringing Kaoru back to her normal self.

* * *

baka = stupid (Kenshin no baka = stupid Kenshin)  
bokken = wooden sword  
de gozaru yo – no exact meaning for this fic, just added to emphasize Kenshin's polite ways  
joudan = joke, kidding  
kecho giri – monster bird kick, Misao's flying kick  
kendo = "Way of the Sword", the modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting  
yosh – an expression of determination


	9. 08 Juppongatana

05.25.11

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 8 ~****  
Juppongatana**

Isa's POV

As I entered the headquarters of Juppongatana, I noticed that the guards weren't the usual ones guarding the huge double doors of the mansion.

"Where's the two underlings assigned here?" I asked, out of curiosity.

"Dead." One of the new guards replied in a bored tone.

"Pity. They were more polite than you."

I walked straight ahead, never caring to see how the guy reacted. I am always given special treatment here. As much as I hated the moments that I'd have to be here, I have to admit that I enjoyed it.

Oh, let me correct that, Shishio gave strict orders to give special treatment to Shinomori, his "dearly beloved hitman". And it was an absolute rule that was followed by everyone… everyone except this one.

And he's standing right in front of me now.

Standing tall and smirking… with his death stick ever-present on his lips.

He puffed a cloud of smoke directly on my face. I had to take it in and act like it's not affecting me or else I'd see his smirk widen.

"Saitou."

He replied by offering me his pack. This guy is actually the one who taught me how to smoke. On how we managed to keep ourselves from fighting for some time long enough for me to learn smoking, I still don't know. All I care about is that his cancer sticks actually did some good. I never became a chain smoker like him; I was never a fan of lung cancer. But on certain gloomy days, I try it, and it does make my mood feel better.

I grabbed one from him and he lit it up for me. Together we walked in silence.

We passed by a large room where regular gamblers are walking in and out. I noticed that the guards in that area were replaced, too.

"So why is he replacing his men?" I actually started a conversation with him.

"Those guards missing tried to help a young teenager escape. Shishio-_sama_ had their fingers cut but they were beginning to be a bother, so Kamatari killed them."

"So another batch of women has arrived, huh? Why help them now?" I said out loud although it was more of me wondering to myself.

Saitou just shrugged his shoulders, my conversation obviously boring him. I was about to ask him if he'll bring me directly to Shishio or if I can wait and ask for Soujiro's company when I heard some low sniffling. I turned my head to the direction of the voice. It was coming from the door we were passing by, which is slightly ajar. As I slowly turn my head back to Saitou with my lips slightly parted to ask the question, I was immediately shoved by his fast reflexes into the questioned door. I lost my balance, causing me to push open the door completely. Before I knew it, the door was locked in my face and his voice spoke from the other side of the door.

"That's why, weasel."

"DAMN YOU, SAITOU, SHISHIO'S EXPECTING ME DON'T LOCK ME IN THIS UNKNOWN ROOM." I shout at the top of my lungs, just to annoy the hell out of him, like how he has annoyed me. I knew he could hear me well, but I heard no response, only his shoes walking farther the hallway.

"And so it fell." I spoke to myself as I noticed my cigarette stick discarded on the floor.

"I warned that wolf not to interrupt my time here! You, loud girl, over there, you can't be _for_ me, are you? You're too loud!" An old man spoke and it was then that I started seeing the new scenery.

_God, why did he have to do this to me? He knows I loathe witnessing these things!_ The man who talked to me was completely naked! And if that wasn't disturbing enough, he's neither a shrimp (good body, ugly face) nor a lollipop (ugly body, pretty face). The man looked disgusting, in and out! He looked too short for a Japanese guy, his is skin full of rashes, and his face is screaming DOM (Dirty Old Man).

I immediately turned my back against him and stood as close to the wall as I can. I don't want to get involved with his 'happy time' with the wench.

"I'm not getting in the way." That's what I told him.

"Good." He replied.

Then there was the sniffling again… "You're… not going to, to help… me? My eyes widened with shock.

"Shut up, bitch." I heard a sweaty slap and the sniffling turned into loud cries. "Loud and ruthless women like that one won't help you. She's just there because an infamous wolf played a prank on us!"

By this time, I was looking at the man again and I was definitely looking now. I couldn't give a shit anymore because I can see clearly that the naked girl crying beneath the sheets was no slut-material. She was far too young for her own good; Saitou's words were now giving me some realization.

"…_That's why."_

The man crawled his way back to the girl and started kissing her like nothing happened. He didn't even acknowledge my presence one bit as I walked closer.

The girl was frozen like a zombie. Her eyes were wide open, looking at me intently, as if I was her last hope.

Fortunately for her, I am.

I spoke again, addressing the man, "Ruthless, you say?"

"Please…" the girl begged.

Finally, the man spoke with his lips on her neck, "What now? Thought you weren't gonna disturb us."

I slowly unsheathed Aoi (my kodachi) and pointed it towards his chest. He made an inaudible gasp and hugged the even-more-frightened girl pathetically.

"What are you going to do? We ARE on the same side! I paid Shishio some insane cash for this woman!"

"No we're not," I pointed deeper, pricking his skin and making a single drop slide down. I dragged the tip following the direction of the trail of blood as I spoke, "I'm not one of Shishio's underlings and that girl is not even a woman."

I pulled my kodachi back and he seemed confused though remarkably relieved that I did. I held the blade in front of my nose. I could smell the blood now. I am already seeing in red with his lifeless body drowning in it.

He was panicking with the sheets to cover up his body. He pulled the girl's wrist, not even bothering to cover her, and dashed towards another door that seems to be an entrance to a room within the room.

The girl's eyes were still glued to me, but now she seems in doubt, too, if she should ask for my help or not. The sound of the door lock opening has cleared my red vision. In a blink of an eye, I executed my kecho giri, breaking the door and causing it to fall in a loud crash with the man lying atop it, still clutching the girl's wrist, who also fell due to the impact.

The room revealed a crowd of gasping women wearing skimpy outfits, probably around the same age as mine. Some of them even looked like foreigners. These are the typical women they collect for trafficking.

_Great, now I am crouched and ready to kill in front of women my age._ Annoyed at the sudden audience, I took a deep breath and stabbed the man quick. A bit of blood spattered on the girl's body, I didn't gave her time to run to take advantage of the man's shock and his lying position just made it hard for me to stab him clean.

Now all the women are looking like scared cats and hugging each other for dear life. I looked at the girl and she was the only one crying with sounds, she thinking that I stabbed her along with the DOM. _Damsels._

I know I have to do something to stop this awkward, gory situation I'm in. I looked at the girl again and knew she had to be attended first. I forced myself to feel normal again and gently patted her back. I pulled the man's body away from her and as soon as she stood on shaky legs, I removed my black jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She understood the silent message that she's safe now. _Damn, I couldn't say anything nice to her. How do you comfort a young teenager after feeling so much bloodlust and killing a DOM in front of an audience?_ She couldn't help herself now; she hugged me and cried to my white shirt. I held her in a loose hug and brushed her short, brown hair with my fingers. That seems to be the signal to make my audience release their breaths and slowly, their frightened kis returned to normal.

I was looking at every one of them when I thought of Saitou, the wolf who put me into this. And Saitou is equal to one thing, "Ladies, do you have any cigs?" I signalled my hand, in case some of them don't understand Japanese.

* * *

About 30 minutes have passed and the girls gave up asking if I am going to help them escape. I, on the other hand, did not utter a single word. The room was all silent, the dead body was now covered with sheets on the other room, and the young teenager I just rescued is now wearing her own clothes as she sleeps on my lap, my jacket keeping her warm. I was leaning on the wall beside the broken door. I tried to distance myself as far away from them as I could, but it was just a room, after all, so I could still hear and feel their murmurs of disappointment of being rejected.

Earlier, when some of them had the guts to whine in my presence, I was thinking deeply on how I should talk to them. I was thinking of what Aoshi-sama would do, but I came up with nothing. He's not stupid enough to end up in this situation like I do. So I kept my mouth shut. I can comfort them, give them words of reassurance, but those will only be empty words. I do not have the power to save them, much more the capacity to break the deal with Shishio only to risk saving them. If I open my mouth now and try to get their hopes up, I would only be hurting myself more.

* * *

"I'm really, really sorry. Saitou-san must've heard me when I informed the guards of your arrival and so he _played_ with you as usual."

It almost felt like forever when Soujiro entered the room. I can feel that some were offended by his smile and avoided his look.

"I wouldn't call this _playing_, Soujiro."

"I said I'm sorry. Really. I'm here now. Shishio-sama won't be available for a few more hours so I am going to stay with you for the meantime. Are you going to take the girl with you?" He asked me as I dusted my pants.

"It's good you know you wouldn't stop me."

"Ah, but Shishio-sama will try to." Then he looked at the girl and smiled, "not that I'm scaring you."

The girl clutched my arm tighter, but Soujiro just smiled and made his way for the door.

"What about us? Are you just going to leave us rotting here? Just like that?" A brave one stood up and then the rest followed.

Facing them again without a trace of harshness on his face, Soujirou replied, "You are here either because you are fooled into working or your useless-excuse-of-a-father owed Shishio-sama some debt. It just so happens that I had to pick up someone from this room. That doesn't change your status."

A number of women went into crying mode again. He definitely struck a chord there. Sometimes my smiling friend's actions are a complete opposite of his cheerful aura. He was the only one that I befriended here and it's an awful feeling at the moment to know that he is telling the truth. But at times like this, even our friendship will not allow me to tolerate his offensive words. I can feel the women were all hurt. Sometimes, a smile can hurt the most.

"You don't have to say anything, anymore, Soujiro. Please take this girl here and leave the room quietly."

"Look who's acting all nicey-nicey." Another woman spoke. "Just because you have your boyfriend to pick you up doesn't change the fact that you're abandoning us and using your skills to serve whoever put us into this!"

The rest of the lounging women didn't hide their surprise at the woman's bluntness. They fear the "ruthless" one will now hurt them, although most of them, if not all, are silently agreeing that the woman's words are nothing but a slice of reality.

"Please, we're begging you…" Another captive tried again, "We've seen how you killed that man. Help us escape this place… Please."

At this, I have an unpleasant response at the tip of my tongue. It's gonna be as painful as Soujiro's words, but apparently, frankness is my only way out. I guess I'm no different, after all. And so I told them what gets every damsel more distraught: "There will never be enough 'princes' in this world."

Hearing my soft whisper, Soujiro understood what I meant and trusted me enough to let me handle it on my own. He silently beckoned the young girl that I saved to follow him out and as we gave each other one look before he walked out the door, I understood the silent message that he'll be outside to wait for me once I've broken the girls' hearts.

The women were mumbling to themselves. Those who understood what I meant remained quiet with fresh tears running down their cheeks while some others just gave me the look that says "what are you talking about now?" I made sure that the next words they'll hear will linger in their ears for good,

"I've always looked up to my guardian who is the prince figure of my life. He was always there to save me in all forms of trouble. But now that I've had a taste of life without him, I have come to realize that I must be the prince myself in order to bear survival. And yet a prince can only handle so much. I may have saved a person or two to make up for my continuous mistakes, but I cannot be the knight-in-shining-armor that you all desperately need. There are just not enough princes in this world. You can strive to be one yourself, if it's not too late, because unless you try, fate cannot guarantee anything close to magical, what with the countless number of damsels in distress found in this sick place. It doesn't matter that I can kill, spare a girl, and get out of here alive. My influence still doesn't extend to all of you. A _ruthless prince_ doesn't change your status."

The cries grew louder and sounded more and more defeated as I finished my small speech. Even the one who dared raise her voice against me is now crying. Being a woman myself, I knew I just initiated the first of the many stabs that will scar their hearts from now on. I admit with shame, though, that this will keep them quiet until I have walked a safe distance from this room. I know I am still somewhat lucky compared to them, so I braced myself for the new pile of guilt that is made official by their weeping. I can only hope that chance will come to them one day and that my words have remained to strengthen them when that happens.

* * *

Outside the room, Soujiro and the girl was on standby, as promised. Soujiro gave me his usual unreadable smile, but his gentle tap on my shoulder reminded me that he is my only friend in this hellish place. Without a word, he led the way to another area inside the headquarters where we are to stay until Shishio summons me.

I felt the girl beside me hesitating, so I intentionally slowed my footsteps to give her the impression of 'privacy' from Soujiro. I would never tell her the truth that men like him can still hear us despite the distance.

"Tell me your name."

"Tsubame desu."

"If you must say something, I suggest you speak now."

"Ha-hai! Ano, miss…"

"Isa. Shinomori Isa."

"I-Isa-sama. I heard everything you said ba-back there. F-First, thank you for saving me, I owe you my life. Second, I promise from now on I'll try… no, I… I'll do my best to be strong, s-so that the only p-prince I will ever search of is the one hidden inside myself!"

_Such an innocent, young mind._ I thought to myself with a bittersweet ghost of a smile.

"First, don't say promises you can't keep. Besides, you are obviously too soft to throw words like that. Second, and just to make things clear, you don't owe me your life YET. You're still inside this headquarters and if you stick to my side, you'll be facing the Boss yourself." Then this Tsubame girl bowed her head, I thought it was going to break, so I added quickly, "However, I won't forget to demand a thank you from you if you managed to stay alive after that."

The girl didn't say another word and we continued to walk in silence, although there is a new unmistakable bounce in her steps. _What a child._ Just like how I used to be when I'm with Aoshi.

* * *

The prince part was a bit of a reference to **Shoujo Kakumei Utena**. It's an anime about a tomboyish girl acting like her childhood prince. I think it fits Isa's character, too, being a girl ninja and all.

I wasn't able to maintain a light atmosphere for so long, sorry. Maybe I should put a warning somewhere that states this fic is emotionally heavy? LOL

I should say my thanks to those who still check on this fic (because I've noticed that my story traffic is always on the last chapter ^^). Thank you so much! I wrote in Isa's POV this time. I hope my writing is still acceptable, if not better. I didn't realize that the lack of update for a few months would lead to a major struggle in keeping track of the emotions and the important information that I write. Hopefully with the news of **REANIMATING RUROUNI KENSHIN** for its 15th anniversary, I will now have more motivation to continue what I've started. With the intro of Juppongatana's headquarters, things are finally showing some progress!


	10. 09 The Real Deal

07.07.11

To **Aomi The Scheduler8** : Thank you for your kind words! I was beginning to think that I am doing something wrong in this fic, with the scenes/chapters being longer than they should be. It's a relief to know that someone finds it interesting, even with the lack of an appearance from Aoshi. (nn,) Since I don't usually get reviews for this fic, I was planning on writing as many chapters as I can before uploading. I managed to write one before life got busy, sadly, and then I totally forgot to upload it! Thanks for actually reminding me! :)

On a side note, while I was having a break from this fic, I came up with another story for another favourite pairing. If you watch **Inuyasha** and love the pair **Sesshoumaru x Rin**, you might want to read **Life, Death, Love**. It's inspired by Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone to be specific. Yeah, shameless plug, LOL.

* * *

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 9 ~****  
The Real Deal**

Isa and Soujiro spent most of their time leisurely playing Hanafuda while Tsubame chose to stay quiet in one corner. At some point, Saitou came back and to Isa's dismay, joined the game. The trio went with their little game and had their fair share of winning and losing. It was only when Isa complained about all four of them smelling like smoke because of Saitou's continuous smoking in an enclosed space that Saitou stood up and informed them that he was there for a reason. And the reason happen to be informing Isa that the Boss has given her his permission to enter his room. Isa was fuming mad and Saitou made sure that he's not hiding his amusement. To fuel up the fire more, he even said that it was a pleasure spending time with Isa for all this time she had been acting like the real big-shot yakuza that she is. There was an odd smirk plastered on his face as if he is enjoying an inside joke that only he understood, but due to the time wasted, Isa chose to ignore his remarks and told the two men that she will now head to Shishio's chambers "without further delay".

* * *

As Isa opened the grand double doors, she was presented with a very traditional-looking room, as if she was looking at another dimension that connected her to the Meiji Era. It wasn't long before she felt Tsubame's fascination as well because she stepped away from her back and folded her hands together in an awed poise.

And it wasn't long either before they spotted the naked woman sleeping and separating her white skin on the patterned silk sheets gracing the enormous bed. It was a King-size, Isa assumed, and purposely made lower than the average bed to give the impression that it belonged to the Old Japanese theme surrounding the room.

_So that's why I had to wait_

The woman sleeping was Komagata Yumi. "Shishio's woman" as everybody calls it. To Isa, though, she calls her his 'handbag' – an attractive accessory that has little use but to cling to the owner's arms and act like a trophy to be displayed and given the proper attention that its beauty deserves. The woman doesn't mingle with anyone, save for Shishio's comforter. Isa wondered, at first, how one woman can stand Shishio, but then she looks exactly like the kind who would want a powerful man to spoil her. And after her few encounters with the 'handbag', she deduced that she doesn't really want to bother at all.

The two visitors cut their own personal musings when Shishio, the Oyabun of Juppongatana Family, cleared his throat after appearing from a connecting bathroom. Isa noticed that Tsubame was still staring at Yumi, so she spoke first, thinking that it would be too troublesome to nudge her unless she wants Shishio to put his attention to her.

"I was ready hours ago."

Shishio took his time sitting on his bed cross-legged, adjusting his purple robe, and smiling at the sleeping woman before replying, "Yumi was ready, as well, and between the two of you, I'd rather attend to her first."

Isa was put off by his attempt at humor, but she had no time to make a witty retort when Shishio changed the topic.

"I've heard about Sakamoto. You and Kamatari pulled a good stunt there; I surely can't expect anything less from you two. Soujiro even told me about the kissing scene, hahahahaha! That would've been a priceless spectacle to see." He unconsciously glanced at Tsubame while speaking, "I'd give up a hundred women for trafficking just to see it!"

_Stay calm. Play along…_ "What about the little 'slip'? You're not disappointed I left a kunai for the investigators to see?"

"Should I be? I didn't become this successful without a reason. Shinomori, I choose my 'men' well. I trust them and they never fail me. I know that kunai won't be traced back to you… or me… or us."

Unfortunately for the two visitors, the little glance made Shishio's attention shift to Tsubame, who is still staring at Yumi thinking who-knows-what. Isa tried to hide the girl using her arms, but the girl was rooted to her place and Shishio's eyes were not leaving her at all.

"Tsubame, what you're doing is rude. Don't stare." Isa scolded.

Shishio ignored the fact that Isa let one of his girls go, instead, he let out another booming laugh and said, "And you?" addressing Isa with his eyes. "You're not bothered at all?" Curiosity evident in his orbs.

Isa thought his response was better than what she had anticipated; she decided to indulge the man and refer back to Sakamoto,

"Not at all. By now I am used to seeing naked people and acquainting myself with men who had to finish their carnal business first before attending to the real business at hand."

Tsubame blushed hard but neither of the two cared.

The result was painfully good. Shishio was laughing his ass off while moving himself to sit beside the sleeping woman. As he finally took notice of the blushing girl, his laughing eyes obviously says that he's willing to let the girl go for unintentionally causing him some entertainment, although it still held the warning that he'd be keeping his eyes on her in case Isa did not do her pending job well.

As he continued shaking with laughter, the bandages covering his whole body began to loosen some more, the first signs of loosing obviously from his previous 'activity' with Yumi. But instead of showing any kind of burns or injuries, which normal people expect to see under heavy bandages, the bandages revealed detailed tattoos from his neckline down to his wrists and body. Isa understood what tattoos meant to Yakuzas, but the bandages… she will never understand or care to. _There must be some serious shit screwed in that head of his!_

The movement finally made the woman beside him stir. "What's funny?" Yumi asked.

"Nothing, nothing... I was just about to assign Isa her final mission, but then these two kept distracting me, it was funny."

"Oh?" She said absently.

Yumi raised a bit to lean on the headboard and guess what? To cling on Shishio's arms! She didn't even bother to cover her exposed upper body. Isa chose not to voice anything. Tsubame, on the other hand, took a step back and finally went to hiding on Isa's back.

Isa then decided to end all distractions. "I guess we should move on to business then."

In a second, all smiles were gone and everybody in the room was attentive on what Shishio has to say.

"When I found out that the person who attacked my men is an Oniwaban, I didn't just take you in with the intention of using your skills. All these years the killings are only a form of stalling and benefitting from you while you're here. What I really want you to do is to go back to your home in Kyoto and monitor a person for me."

"You stained four years of my life with blood just because you're waiting for me to go back home? How can you be so inconsiderate! Couldn't you just send someone else or blackmail me when I'm there?"

"You might want to watch your mouth, Shinomori. I have a lot to say and I don't want to have a volume contest with a whining brat while I give my orders."

It took a lot of courage for Isa to stay calm and say, "I'm listening."

What Shishio said next, however, quieted Isa for real. Shishio knew she's finally learned the importance of her mission.

"I'm sure you've heard about the Kashiwazaki Family, the largest and wealthiest criminal organization all over Japan."

As a confirmation, Shishio heard a loud gulp whose echo seem to stretch in the quiet room.

"Now what I want to ask you is, have you met Kashiwazaki Nenji otherwise known as Okina?"

"No, I've only heard that he stays in Kyoto. Aoshi-sama has seen him a few times, though, for reasons I don't know."

"Precisely. You see, a long time ago, an involvement occurred between the Oniwabanshu and Okina. The elders from the ninja clan and the Boss developed a friendly bond since then. But as of the moment, all the elders are dead and the oldest member existing who is present from those days is the current okashira, Shinomori Aoshi."

"You make him sound ancient. He's only 31." _I don't like where you're going…_

"Do you see what I need now? I want you to extract information from the well-respected okashira and I want you to act based on that information. As if I'm not lucky enough, I got a member of the best intelligent network on my side… and Aoshi's one and only ward at that. Your surname is proof enough of how effective it is that you do this."

Isa wanted to swallow all the disgust. All this time Shishio's been intending to use her against the most important person in her life. As if going home was not risky enough, she even have to lie to Aoshi on a frequently basis! Suddenly she's been thinking if all this trouble is worth her freedom.

"What do you want from Aoshi-sama?"

"I want you to find a person that only Shinomori Aoshi knew of. I want you to find and kill that person and then we can both have a fresh start." Shishio's face expressed the most evil grin.

"Tell me about this person you speak of."

"22 years ago, Juppongatana and Kashiwazaki were supposed to merge as one family." Shishio said the word "family" with strong bitterness, but Isa decided to stay quiet and listen to the rest of what he has to say. "Things were going accordingly until Okina broke an important deal. Now, Yakuzas may be known as gangsters and crime lords, but if there's one thing that you can trust us with, it's that we take it to a whole new level when we say we will keep our word. As punishment for not keeping his, I carefully planned an accident that will lead to the death of each and every one of Okina's living family. It was successfully executed one year after. It wasn't that hard, seeing that there's only three left – a couple and their child, Okina's grandchild, a one-year-old little girl."

Knowing that she herself does not have a family related to her biologically, Isa already felt pity for the Boss she has never met. "You killed a whole family? How sick can you get?"

"UNFORTUNATELY, it wasn't as successful as I thought it was."

"Six years ago, I received word that the grandchild is still alive. I used all my power to trace the source of the rumor, but to no avail. It's been pure, unrestricted chaos in my mind since then. The only clue I have was that the Oniwabanshu aided in rescuing the girl, thus resulting to her survival."

"That's what you want me to find out? Search for a girl that's only 'rumored' to be alive and then kill her? Why Aoshi-sama? Why not look into that Okina's home instead?"

"My sources already told me that there is no granddaughter living in his house. Besides, if the girl's existence has been hidden for this long, then Okina must have taken great measures to make sure she is alive and well-hidden. I know the old man, if he owed the Oniwabanshu his grandchild's life then they will be the only one informed of her whereabouts. Even the kobun surrounding him showed no signs of knowing the girl's hiding place. Everybody knew her as 'that child who died a long time ago'."

"What if she really is?"

"That is for you to find out for me."

"Any instructions on how am I gonna work this out?"

Shishio gave a smile that says "this is the part I'm excited to tell" and Isa loathed what he has to say before he even opened his mouth.

"Love."

"What the fuck?"

"Simple. You're gonna make your okashira fall in love. Why, I never imagined you'd be opposed to such task!"

"..."

"You'll go home and live your life like how Shinomori Isa lived it with her adoptive family, with the exception of making the ninja commander fall in love with you. You act according to your findings, and then when we're sure that everything is inconspicuous, you kill the grandchild."

"Aoshi-sama won't fall in love with me. He practically raised me, for kami's sake! I say BULLSHIT."

Yumi, who has been silent the whole conversation, erupted into giggles.

With a side glance at his woman, Shishio replied like he is having all the fun in the world, "Oh trust me, with the way you are looking right now…" He trailed while giving Isa a malicious look. "…it wouldn't be that hard to make your stoic prince fall in love."

Again, the giggling from Yumi!

"Fuck you, Shishio Makoto," _wow it very much feels like swearing is not bad at all when I'm talking to him_, "I think I can think of another plan, thank you."

The smile Isa got told her that swearing at him was as good as a compliment. _Ugh!_

"_Emotions_," he started again, "as you've learned the hard way, are a very effective distraction. It would make it easier to divide his attention and acquire what we need from him. So unless you can think of another… emotion, I suggest you do as I say. Think of it as my 'thank you' gift for all your hard work. Who knows, if his love is genuine, he might even forgive you for being a traitor. Hahahaha!"

"Speak another word about love and I'd make you talk to the wall instead!"

"My, my, such a sensitive topic, isn't it?" Yumi interjected.

Isa took a deep breath and tried again, "WELL," then as if reassuring herself, she continued, "the Kashiwazaki Family ARE Yakuzas. Surely it wouldn't be that BAD to kill one heir… She is an unknown heir, after all."

"Is that confidence radiating from you?" Shishio asked with amusement.

Ignoring his question, Isa continued, "Okay… Just one more kill."

"One more kill and you have your freedom… and everybody attached to you." He spared a glance at Tsubame. "All strings between us will be cut, much to my disappointment." He finished with exaggerated tone of displeasure.

"You're honestly, honestly, going to keep your word?"

"That word is what got Okina's family killed, didn't it? You have MY word."

"I still can't understand, though, why you should bother with a poor girl that has already disappeared. Although, if Aoshi-sama knows about her, that makes my freedom an easy reach."

"We all have demons of our past that we'd like to erase to have a fresh start. The death of this missing girl is what I need to complete the foundation of the new me. As you know, without a strong foundation, we cannot be as successful as we think we are becoming. It'll just be the never-ending chaos within our self."

_I can relate to what he said. This is freaking me out!,_ Isa thought with involuntary shivers. "I don't really want to water your evil roots, but a fresh start sounds good. I'm already excited to kill the girl."

"Good to hear! Birds of the same feather really do kill together!"

"Hn!" _In your dreams!_ "By the way, you never told me the name. Does the girl go by Kashiwazaki, as well?"

"Iie. Now remember this name, Shinomori, with all that's left of your tainted heart. You will owe her for the rest of your life. The grandchild's name is Misao… Makimachi Misao."

For some reason, Isa felt like testing the name on her tongue, "Mi-sa-o".

_I hope you're already dead because when I find you, I won't delay in killing you._

* * *

A few minutes before midnight and the two ladies are ready for bed. Since Isa only has one bedroom, she offered to share the bed to her visitor, Tsubame, who insists in sleeping on the couch.

Before going home, Isa apologized to Tsubame for the late dinner and made it up to her by treating her to her first hearty meal in a long while. They even dropped by to a 24/7 Department Store to buy Tsubame a reasonable change of clothing and some necessities. While passing by a bookstore, a journal even caught Isa's attention and she decided to buy it for herself.

As they reached her flat, Tsubame has finished giving her a quick summary of her life and how she ended up at the Juppongatana's headquarters. Isa found out that she has no living relatives left, and since she couldn't keep up paying her rent anymore, her landlord tricked her into working for Shishio to get rid of her.

As for the two of them, Isa can say that they get along pretty well. Tsubame loved Isa's casual and carefree side outside her 'work' and she idolizes the girl so much to question any unwanted topic. Isa found, too, that she can tolerate the girl despite her weak character. Tsubame is the shy type, but if given attention, she noticeably shows her interest in making friends and having fun. Having grown up with limited finances, the girl is pretty humble and appreciative of whatever she has. Isa already like that part of her. She vowed to spoil the girl to at least make one person happy in her life, but she also swore to keep her feet to the ground and to give her proper guidance so that she can become a strong woman in her own way. Isa knew the perfect place for her, but she will have to wait another day before she promises the girl anything.

Now as the two of them lied in Isa's bed, Isa's emotional stress took its toll and she fell asleep right away. But as she pulled the comforter higher, Tsubame didn't fail to catch her mumble before sleep took over.

"I must be really, really stressed, my bed smells so much like Aoshi-sama." Tsubame heard her say.

Tsubame wondered who is this Aoshi-sama that they keep on mentioning and concluded that he must be someone really special if her savior thinks of him during rough times like this. "He must be Isa-sama's prince."

She snuggled closer to her and waited patiently for sleep to take her.

"Ne, you forgot to demand your 'thank you', but I'm saying it anyway. You seem like a really nice person deep inside. I hope I get to stay with you, my troubled 'prince', Isa-sama…"

* * *

Hanafuda – Japanese playing cards, translates to "Flower Cards"  
Kobun – means "foster child", the Yakuzas adapt the Japanese hierarchical structure of Oyabun-Kobun. The oyabun is the foster parent and the kobun are the brothers.


	11. 10 Transition

08.03.11

**A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story  
****~ Chapter 10 ~****  
Transition**

Aoshi stood at the far back of the crowd. The day of his ward's college graduation has finally arrived and he is just in time for the university ceremony. Each college has two ceremonies, the first one is held inside the students' resident colleges, and the second one is like a joint celebration of sorts, held outdoors in the university grounds because of the huge crowd that consists of all university students and their families. There at the center of the grass field is a huge platform stage that divides the rows and rows of seats for the students and for their guests. Aoshi is situated in the area reserved for the guests, but because he didn't inform his ward of his attendance, he is forced to stand along with the rest of the crowd with no seats. His tall frame and immaculate suit covered by an expensive-looking beige trench coat may be difficult to ignore, but aside from that, he is where he want to be, blending inconspicuously with the sea of people.

He indulged in watching Isa from afar. His eyes may be covered with the light shade of his sunglasses, but the tiny raise at the tip of his mouth cannot hide the fact that he is happy. Being a top student himself, he cannot deny the smug feeling swelling up inside him at seeing his ward following his footsteps. Isa's awards had given her the privilege to step again on stage, in front of the whole school this time, and Aoshi is glad by both her achievements and the pleasure of watching her in plain sight. He had to admit, though, that despite graduating with a degree, his ward is still small compared to the other students. He just had to smile to himself at that. But if he didn't know any better, he'd say she's the most attractive being he has seen in such a long while. She is a complete mixture of beauty, intelligence and confidence. The person he sees now is definitely a grown woman, despite her height, and from the distance, he find it difficult to trace the little girl that he has raised. He didn't know when he stopped thinking like the uptight man that he was. All he knows is he enjoyed the view, and for the rest of the ceremony, that is all that matters.

* * *

As soon as the ceremony came to an end, Isa ran towards the edge of the crowd of guests littering the grass field. She was sure she saw Aoshi when she went onstage! She was sidetracked, however, when a guy whom she knew as one of her former seatmates grabbed her arm and requested for a group picture. It was not later than that when a few other guy classmates appeared as well and they all exchanged congratulatory hugs while stepping beside her one by one to have their pictures taken with her. It is true that she's been careful of people since she started working for Shishio, but seeing her carefree male acquaintances happy to have their pictures taken with her made her joyful inside. They have not forgotten her despite her distant attitude during the last of her college years and without realizing it, she is already sincerely smiling for the pics and telling them that she will remember their brief moments of being in class together.

Once the happy chatter has subsided, she heard a shout nearby and turned her head to see her friend, Megumi. This made her elated, once again. Not only because she saw her friend, but because that friend happened to reveal another surprise for her during their ceremony.

"MY GOD, MEGUMI! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WE WERE BOTH GRADUATING THIS TERM? We should've partied or something!"

"Ohohohohohoho! This is why I never told you! You should've seen the look on your face when I was called and we met on stage!"

"I know! I honestly didn't see that coming! What miracle did you do, woman?"

"Nothing, really. I was really expecting to graduate on the same year as you, but things were a little rough, so I kept it to myself in case things go wrong. Now that we're both here, I'm just glad we finally have our degree!"

"Well, congratulations to you! I am so happy for you! Now that the three of us are officially graduates, I guess this is the start of a new life for us. Any plans yet?"

"Now that you mentioned it," Megumi paused to exaggeratedly flip her long hair. "I actually got an offer to work with a well known doctor in Kyoto. Not only is he going to guide me, he is offering me to join him in his monthly trips to abroad to conduct seminars, would you believe that? It's far from here, but it's a good break for a beginner like me. My parents are so proud that they actually allowed me to move there if I wished to. Isa, I can start my own career and make a name for myself if I moved there! I won't have to rely on my family name anymore, I'm so excited!"

"Are you crazy? That is so where I live!"

"Ohohohohohohohohoho! I know, right?"

With a new found glint in their eyes, Isa voiced their main thought, "We are SO gonna bond when you move there! I bet Kaoru will be jealous if we meet all the time."

"Speaking of the devil… Ohohohohohohoho!"

Isa followed Megumi's line of vision, and there, they saw Kaoru fighting her way through the crowd, a big smile plastered on her face as she hurriedly pushes off the people around her to meet them.

Not far behind the excited girl are the rest of her group which consists of her brother Yahiko, their new friend Tsubame, and Kaoru's adult student, Kenshin. Isa grinned like a cat when she saw the swordsman, using her graduation as one of his lame excuses to bond with Kaoru, but she was still too absorbed with her graduation high that she decided to tease Kaoru at a later date.

After saving Tsubame and buying her things, Isa talked to Kaoru about allowing her to stay with them. Kaoru had no problems with it since Tsubame promised to help around the house and look for a job to pay her rent, which she later found in a nearby restaurant called Akabeko. In fact, Kaoru's been ecstatic to live with another girl and promised to keep her secret safe, even from her nosy brother. Judging from Yahiko's continuous blushing and uncharacteristic stuttering around their new tenant, it was painfully obvious that he is not against the idea, as well. Ever since Tsubame moved to the Kamiya Residence, the two have quite gotten along well.

As for Tsubame, she had been sad at first that she's moving away from her 'lady-prince', but Isa assured her that she's safe now and that her new friends will be there to protect her. She may even be lucky because Kaoru agreed that it is only right to teach her some self-defense. To lift the younger girl's spirits, Isa promised her that when the _complications_ in her life is over, she will come see her again so she can decide if she still want to live with her when that time comes. Tsubame understood Isa's troubles and was already more than happy that her saviour had given her that option.

As Isa recalled her deal with Tsubame, she suddenly remembered why they were gathered at the guests' area of the field. She quickly turned her head to where she last saw Aoshi, but he was nowhere in sight. Standing there, however, was a tall man of similar built. Isa laughed hard which called the attention of her friends back at her.

"Woman, what are you laughing at? Come here, we gotta take lotsa pictures of you and Megumi's moment. Better make use of your beautiful camera!" Kaoru piped up.

"Ehehehehehe. I was imagining Aoshi-sama was here. Oy… OY KAORU! When did you get hold of my EXPENSIVE BABY! Be careful with that, biatch! That's my grad gift from Aoshi-sama, I don't want it getting destroyed before my graduation day ends!" Isa shouted angrily, but playfully, and everybody just laughed. They knew the genki girl was just happy and missing her guardian.

"Hey, none of you are listening! I said give it back, ARGH! That's pretty because that's bought by Aoshi-sama, I can't wait to see him again!"

Kaoru was just responding with 'blah blah blah' expressions on her face.

"Ohohohohoho, we heard you okay." said Megumi while making an imitation of a ghost gliding towards Kenshin, who by now have sensed the situation and having sweatdrops forming on his forehead. "Ken-saaaaaan," she said seductively, "will you take the camera away from that brute Kaoru and have Isa take a picture of us? Ohohohohoho!"

"Oroooo, Megumi-dono… Sessha does not think…"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BRUTE? STAY AWAY FROM KENSHIN!"

"I said don't pass around my camera like it's a cheap toy! Aoshi-sama won't forgive youuuu! Give it back to me, in the name of Shinomori!"

"Ohohohohoho~~!"

The chaotic rounds of conversation continued. Unknown to them all, the said Aoshi is still nearby, silently observing her ward interact with friends he has never met. He got alarmed at first when he saw men freely giving her ward what they call 'bear hugs', but as soon as he heard her bragging his name like the old days, he felt a little of the Isa he knew and suddenly he was at ease. He decided to walk away at that moment and leave her ward to her celebration. As he distance himself from the crowd, he was shaking his head lightly and thinking, _so much of that beauty and intelligence that I am imagining_ while smiling, the people around him completely unaware that it is already one of those rare moments that they will see such man smile.

* * *

Dinnertime has arrived and Aoshi is absentmindedly twirling a fallen petal in his fingers. After doing an investigation of his own regarding the Sakamoto case, he decided to dine at some fine restaurant to have a break and dissect the information he has gathered. He didn't mind paying additional cash in order to get the most isolated table, even if he is alone, because 'quiet and peaceful' is exactly how he preferred things, except for when he is listening to his ward's cheerful antics. The restaurant manager gave him a table at the back of the room, but since their secluded booths are usually for eventful occasions and are not meant for a single person, the area appeared to be too spacious for him. It piped up the curiosity of the female waitresses and they keep on trying to peek inside his booth to steal a few glances at him, all wondering if he is expecting a female to arrive and join him. When the male waiter (thankfully) arrived to ask his order, Aoshi requested that the noisy and nosy females be put away and the waiter gladly obliged.

The increasing volume of footsteps alerted the okashira of the return of the man serving his food and the lone petal fell from his fingers. He looked down at it for the first time and then at the flower resting inside the delicate-looking vase in which it is formerly a part of. It was then that the sight before him started to register.

_She would love that._

"Excuse me, sir, here is your order." The waiter interrupted. "I hope you enjoy your meal."

He silently thanked the waiter with a small nod of his head and started his meal, his thoughts quickly changing to another pressing issue.

**Start of Flashback**

Aoshi leisurely walked along the port area, his suit jacket gone, his tie loosened and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The sun is high up in the sky providing warmth, but sprays of cold water is brought by the wind every now and then to create a soothing contrast. The weather is just right for an afternoon cruise. He could already see people boarding their anchored yachts and enjoying the good weather.

He decided to start his stroll in the most extravagant-looking part of the port. He deduced that the place is the nearest private property with personal yachts, so if the people involved in the murder that he is investigating have men on standby to look after the passenger ship to Korea, then this is where they will likely hang out. If Shishio is behind this, like they assume, then it isn't unlikely that he owns one of these extravagant yachts. He silently wondered why the police never thought of the involvement of people outside the ship, but then he knew it'd be pointless to dwell on it since he has no plans of teaming up with them or informing them of his theory. He continued observing what is considered normalcy in the area while approaching a group of men employees every now and then to casually inquire about boating, their maintenance and the benefits of spending some time in the waters.

On went his inquiries. On the back of his head, he is wondering if his ward would love such experience. He knew she loved the beach, but she has never tried cruising. When he realized that it has nothing to do with his current mission, and that he will always have thoughts of his little girl all the time, like she is an extended part of himself, he realized that he has walked a long way and he is now in the parking area reserved for less-extravagant yachts, mostly small and plain-looking ones ideal for boating alone or with a small group of people. It is there, however, that he has finally heard something new. Although it is far from being related to a murder case, it is the only thing he's heard of that doesn't involve boating hobbyists, rich people holding parties aboard, fishing, bragging about machineries and the like, to which to his Oniwabanshu instincts were all the same. Something told him he should take note of this one…

"Oy, oy, Shinji! You checking out girls again?" said one man who looks like an employee in the area.

"Ahahahaha, you caught me." This Shinji replied while scratching his head.

"Well, you're kind of predictable man, always looking for wild, liberated girls having a _good_ time."

Shinji feigned hurt. "I am, aren't I? I can't help it; my experience abroad has really broadened my tastes. You have to admit, ladies playing amongst themselves look hot!"

"Ah, talking dirty now in the middle of work, eh? I assume you're talking about the lesbian couple we saw a couple of weeks ago."

"Hey are you talking about the kissing girls we saw the night before the murder broke out?" another man butt in.

At hearing this Aoshi's senses were on alert.

"Oh trust this man to be attentive when it comes to women." The first man teased.

"Well, who wouldn't forget a scene like that?" the third man replied.

Aoshi decided it was the best time to show himself. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I happened to heard your conversation."

"Err excuse us, sir, these fellas of mine get carried away." Shinji replied. "Are you the owner of one of these boats?"

"No." Aoshi answered. "I just came from that area over there. I was admiring these boats when I chanced upon your conversation." To a stranger's ears, he sounded like he was really interested in the topic. Nobody noticed he was actually acting out of his character.

"Well, well, looks like sir here is another one for attractive ladies." The third man replied. Clearly he was pleased they had drawn the tall man's attention.

Aoshi allowed himself a smirk. "Why are they overflowing in here?" All men laughed at his joke.

"He he heh, well not really, it's rare to see things like that here as they usually do that when they're on the waters, not in these humble ports." Shinji spoke again, deciding by himself that he'd be the one to supply the information.

"What about the one you were talking about?" Aoshi started his _real_ inquiry.

"Ah, _that_. One night we saw a steaming lesbian couple making out in one of these small boats. The yacht was anchored; it looked like they were just having a good time in the dark. We left them to their business of course." Shinji finished with a proud grin.

"They said their parents owned the yacht and they didn't want anyone to find out about their relationship, so we, being the gentlemen that we are, left them of course." The first man supplied.

"That is manly of you guys." To this, the men laughed. "I heard this happened during a murder?"

"Oh, nothing significant." Shinji brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "It was just the night before the murder in some passenger ship to Korea occurred, so we were able to remember the date."

"Is this the Sakamoto murder you were talking about, perhaps?"

"Ah, that's it! Hey are you an investigator or the like? Nobody has ever inquired here. There's nothing here, really."

"Man, why would you say such thing? This handsome guy here could only be curious about the ladies!" the third guy said with a wriggle of his eyebrows.

Aoshi forced a smile "That is correct. I was just thinking they chose a perfect timing for their make out session. They must love the thrill, no?"

The men laughed again, and like old buddies, began talking to Aoshi about their job here and there and everything else that they have seen around the port while they're here, mostly about attractive women, to which Aoshi patiently listened.

Finally, when he believed there is nothing more to hear from these men, he faked a call from the phone on his pocket. "Excuse me guys, but I believe my phone is vibrating." He picked up his phone, pretended to ignore a call, and then said, "That was my boss' warning call, I should be back soon."

"Well, we had a good time talking to you, sir."

"You should really try investing on your own boat. Maybe we'll see you one day with a woman here. God, women love these romantic stuffs!"

"Indeed. Thank you for your time. As a parting gift, here is a card to a bar nearby. The place is good yet their prices are pretty cheap and most of all," Aoshi made a malicious grin, "they're popular among foreigners, so you'll most likely see more of your _exotic_ women there, Shinji." Aoshi handed one of the colorful cards that a young saleslady had forcefully handed him on the streets. He was originally intending on throwing it or, perhaps, giving it to Shikijo..?

Shinji blushed and the men laughed again while waving their goodbyes. "Man, sir over there is really good."

As Aoshi walked away, he pretended to brush his fingertips on his non-existent facial hair. In reality, he is rubbing his jaw. Thinking in a manner similar to those men, he said to himself, "That grin hurt. Man, I have never talked this much in a long while. Thank kami, none of those men knew me."

**End of Flashback**

As he recalled his time at the port, he is beginning to doubt the relevance of the lesbian couple. He tried to bring it up again to those men, but they really couldn't say anything else as it was still too dark that night despite its nearing to dawn. Nevertheless, he will file this discovery. If those two ladies are of any relation to Shishio, then it must mean he is hiring women, as well, and they started the kissing scene to distract the witnesses. All his lackeys that he has heard of, however, are all males, but Shishio is not the type to discriminate people's skills based on their gender, so it is only right that he keep his eyes open on this possibility.

For the meantime, he deserves to enjoy his meal after a long day. He looked in front of him and reminded himself that he still have some errand to run before he go to his final destination tonight.

* * *

With a full stomach threatening to explode and ears bleeding from all the drunk shouting and loud noises from the karaoke, Isa went outside to have a break from the party. It was exclusive to her college batchmates, so her friend, Megumi, was not among the drunken crowd. She didn't mind, though, because she missed a lot of carefree fun when she's working on _other_ things, so she felt it right to entitle herself to one wild college night before she leaves.

_At least I have some good memories here. _She thought with a sad, painful smile.

She sat on the wooden porch of the traditional Japanese rest house that her batchmates reserved for the event. This gave her a good night-time view of the beautiful garden and the glowing white crescent moon reflecting on the koi pond. The only sound she's hearing is the bamboo fountain and the muffled music from the karaoke inside which is now more bearable to listen to from a distance.

_Kisetsu wa odayaka ni, owari wo tsugeta ne__  
__Irodorareta kioku ni yosete sayonara__  
__Ai wo kureta ano hito wa, kono hitomi ni yurameite ita_

_(The season calmly declared its end.  
I gather colorful memories and I say goodbye to them.  
That person who gave me love, was swaying inside these eyes.)_

Isa sat down and leaned on a wooden pillar, one of her knees raised and her hand holding a cigarette resting on it. She thought about the last person on her hitlist, the girl named Makimachi Misao. They must be about the same age. That would make her a grown up like she is now and experiencing her own share of life troubles. She wondered as to what extent hers might be, because she will surely make her life more miserable once she entered her life only to end her existence.

_Togirenai kimochi nante hajime kara shinjite nakatta_

_Utsuriyuku machinami ni torinokosareta mama,_

_yukikau ano hitobito ga, ima wa tooku ni kanjirarete_

_Zawameki sae usurete wa, tameiki ni kiete shimau…_

_(I didn't believe from the beginning in continuous feelings  
Being abandoned in changing towns,  
I can feel at the distance, those people who come and go  
Even the noise goes down and disappears in a sigh…)_

After all the bad things that has happened in her life, she could still be thankful that she's an orphan raised by a very kind, although not very expressive, man and not an heir of some big shot. She had the time of her life growing up with a teenager Aoshi and her ninja family, the man even gave her a surname she can be proud of. Of course, there's still the occasional feeling of envy. What does having a family bound by blood feel like? Will she have her own experience of it in the future?

Does this Misao now have a foster family who will grieve after her loss?

…_Ato dore kurai darou? soba ni ite kureru no wa_

_Sou, omoinagara toki wo kizande ita yo…_

_(…How long will you be by my side?_

_So, while I was thinking, the time was elapsing…)_

Seeing her thoughts going downhill, she stood up, stretched her arms a little, and figured that she needed more alcohol in her system.

She walked back inside the party room, the death stick still in between her thin fingers.

* * *

A highly intoxicated Isa managed to open her door before getting out-of-balanced and slamming herself on it face first. Pushing it close with a bang, she tried to stand properly on her own two feet while carelessly throwing her belongings on the nearby couch. It was when her keys fell on the coffee table overflowing with flowers settled on a large vase, has she only noticed that her whole flat, or at least everything that her vision can reach, was decorated with foreign flowers that she was sure were roses of different kinds. The assault of the fragrant smell on her senses immediately followed after this realization, but for some reason, her ninja senses were not on alert. And she was sure it wasn't because she's under the influence of alcohol.

A person immediately came into mind. She knows that person is well aware of her love for roses and would make use of it to please her from time to time…

…but he is in a completely different city that is far from hers and is probably busy at the moment with completely different things. It can't be possible that he travelled all the way here to surprise her,

_can it?_

The alcohol is again reminding her of its presence on her system and she felt her throat getting hot and dry. Not that she can form any words if it isn't.

Caught in a trance, she passed by the bouquets and bouquets of roses arranged in her living room and walked towards her bedroom, her unsteady footsteps getting faster as she reaches what now seemed like a faraway doorknob.

She silently opened the door, as if making the slightest noise would wake her up from her dream. The light was off; it was dark like the rest of her place, but her trained eyes and her hopeful heart did not fail her.

The person she loved the most is sitting in front of her.

The moment she laid her eyes upon her bed, she saw Aoshi sitting there at the edge. His head was bowed down a little and his arms were heavily leaning on his open legs. He looked like he fell asleep waiting, but she knew he was conscious of her arrival. To confirm her thoughts, his ice blue eyes lifted to look at her form and she felt it piercing her soul like a sharp icicle. It was absorbing all the light and glowing in contrast to the dark room. The tension was thick, yet it was sweet and welcomed. It didn't help that none of them moved to switch on the light. Isa took a few steps forward to test her courage and decided then and there to act purely on instinct.

With tears threatening to fall out of the corner of her eyes, the ninja girl leaped at her guardian, resulting in him being thrown in the center of the bed. Astonishment aside, Aoshi was fascinated at how his ward can look very grown up and yet still act like the genki child that she was all those years ago. Her body fit perfectly in his arms, like he's holding her for the first time, and he didn't mind one bit that it was warmed by the alcohol she has obviously consumed. In fact, he allowed himself to be enveloped by its heat. He felt tenderness seep inside him as he stares at her, genuinely smiling and hugging him for dear life. The situation gave way to his sudden recollection of his own share of relationships when he was younger, none of those lasted due to the women complaining that it's always "all about Isa" all the time, but somehow, at this moment, he knew he felt something different inside him. He could not put his finger on it, it seems closely related to his train of thought and yet not the same. Something tells him there's more, that it is a whole new level deeper than what he has felt before. The only thing he understood is that it is far more special and endearing now that they are together and enjoying the sweetness of their reunion. He continued looking into her eyes, trying to read there what it is that he's sure they are both feeling. When their close proximity and inappropriate position on the bed has finally come to his attention, it was too late. The child he has raised acted on that instinctive feeling and slowly, her soft lips were descending on his that it soon turned into an experimental kiss, as if telling him that she's no longer his little girl but his equal – someone ready to face what's ahead of them with newly formed maturity. And accept that, he would. It wasn't something that he could prevent from happening, anyway.

What he couldn't comprehend was why he was kissing her back.

Her breath, mixed with her natural sweet smell, smelled faintly of cigarettes and tequila and as odd as it sounds, he thought it smelt good coming from her. He might be intoxicated himself!

In the end, the gift of surprise was meant to be tasted by the two of them.

* * *

The song featured is **Fourth Avenue Café** by **L'Arc~En~Ciel**. It was the ending theme when Misao and Aoshi finally saw each other after eight (?) long years. :3


End file.
